Dragon Riders - Group RP - 18+

[SqueezeBabe]

 

 

 

 

The landscape was dark and bleak, clouds obscuring the sun and casting the world into shadow. A lone figure stood in the centre of the cavern, alone against impossible odds. The dark and terrible beasts sinuously moved around him. All was silent except for the rasping sound of scales against rock and the occasional hiss of breath from beasts colossal in size. Dark soulless eyes watched the figure; he stood motionless, the mighty sword he wielded was steady, never wavering.

 

It was a moment where time stood still.

 

What happened next, nobody knew. That part of land permanently remaining in shadow, the mysterious figure never returned and his legend was born, the mighty sword, never found, became known by one name; "Sleepmaker". The mighty beasts slumbered for an eternity, never to bring terror to the world that was, never to awaken again.

 

Or so it seemed.

 

Small stirrings began, the evil that slumbered had spread it's seeds far and wide, bringing misfortune and pain to those they encountered, and as the evil in the world grew, so did the beast.

 

A dark and soulless eye opened slowly.

[Lady.Taser]

Silver grey was reflected in the water, his large bulk perfectly simulated in the water and it mesmerised the man on his back. Ghnarlan had met his mortal 4 years ago now, the time had been but a drop of water in the sea to him. He was an old dragon and had a lot of wisdom on which to draw, yet he had somehow been found by this human and was actaully pleased to know the boy wasn't a half-wit as so many humans were.

 

They had both learnt a lot about the other in the past four years since their meeting on the pool's edge. It had taken days for Shaun to noticed that he was inexplicably drawn to Ghnarlan, who in turn didn't reveal he was the dragon for a good week after revealing the bond that had formed. A part was cautiousness, to make sure that Shaun would not try and take advantage of the dragon, not that it was really possible. What they had was more of a partnership, neither one had control over the other.

 

Due to Ghnarlan's age however he was able to use small levels of telepathy to talk to Shaun, and Shaun learnt how to do it readily as at first he was still returing to his village each night, even though his interest was in exploring far beyond the village.

 

It had been about 2 years ago that Shaun left the village, running away without telling anyone and Ghnarlan disapproved but wasn't going to interfere with the boy's decision. Since then they had been travelling, flying between places and then Ghnarlan changing into a human to enter the towns and villages they passed through. Even though they tended to sleep out in the wild Shaun would insist that they had to go into each and every town and visit each place in his eagerness to explore. One Day Ghnarlan was simply going to take the boy to some cave for him to explore... though he would probably enjoy that.

 

Shaun himself was acting carefree and innocent but he wasn't stupid. He had insisted on visiting everywhere, acting like a tourist and then listening carefully to the conversations the locals would have around them. Having grown up in a prejudiced village he knew that a lot of people would talk more freely around ignorant tourists who didn't pay attention as opposed to brooding men in the corner of a room, and with stories spreading he was trying to hear as many as possible.

 

They ranged from bandit groups forming and being a huge problem for local authorities, to pestilance afflicting a farmers crop, to the authorities themselves being corrupt and now most recently was the talk of a country where a civil war had started as the people had finally grown weary of the over taxation and starvation as the nobles lived in luxury.

 

They landed just outside the next town, Shaun acting excited and hanging off the dragon's arm, now that Shaun was older andhad grown some muscle it looked like a weird mismatch to have to large strong man to be hugging a smaller man but Shaun did so all the same, dragging Ghnarlan into the town. They passed a sign stating the name of the town. 'Hillsmach' A name that made considerable sense as the town was uilt on the side of a sloping hill.

 

After quite a bit of dragging around they finally ended up at the pub with Shaun nattering away at a mile a minute as he talked about inconsequential things to Ghnarlan, who at times wanted to reconsider his thoughs on the human not being a half-wit.

[StainedCrimson]

A loud laughing scream echos across the high mountain pool as a small form is seen sliding down a great golden scaled body who merely watches with wry amusement before the shape hits the water. After the water manages to settle to a few ripples it is disturbed again as head bursts through the surface followed by a gasping breath then more laughter. The water ripples as the great scaled body chuckles as well before the great head dips down under the form to lift it up, revealing a mere boy who lays along the snout of the dragon smiling as his feet dangle on either side.

 

Turning Shaegon heads for the shore where he tilts his head causing the boy to fall off and onto the grass with a soft thud and 'oomph' before giving the golden dragon a pouting glare which causes the dragon to let out another soft laugh. "Shae~! That wasn't very nice. I was comfy." The boy whines huffing up at the other, clearly unafraid of the being that could easily swallow him whole or pierce him with fangs that are easily two to three times his size.

 

The great head drops to knock the boy over playfully with his nose before shifting and staring down at the human boy smiling. "Now, now Reishi. It's time for your lessons. Can't spoil you too much now can I?" He teases to which the boy mock huffs but quickly goes off to the small glen near their home entrance where they hold his lessons.

 

It's only when the human's back is to him that the smiling face falls and a cold and almost distant look crosses his face as Shaegon turns to quickly glance around his home. Things have been changing lately. Shadows have grown or appeared in places they don't belong in and restlessness has filled the mountains as the aggression and oddities have increased over the last few months. A low almost unhearable growl comes forth from the dragon's human form, really little more than a deep vibration one can feel in the very marrow of their bones. He does not like this darkness that has crept into his home, nor does he plan to stand idly by while it gains strength.

 

After one last glance around, Shaegon goes to join his little human who is no more than 11 or 12 this year. Having been with the dragon since he was roughly reaching his 7th year of life, it's no wonder he feels no fear of the dragon who has all but raised him as his own. The two have grown as close as any blood family could ever hope to be and then some.

 

The boy looks up to and loves his dragon, and to the dragon the boy is his treasure. All humans and other beings tend to think of the gold and jewels as a dragon's treasure, but that is not the case. Well, not always the case. But no matter what a dragon claims as his treasure, that treasure is the thing that is the most fiercely loved and the most fiercely protected. No matter what may happen to the dragon, so long as its treasure is happy and safe that is all that matters. And that is how Shaegon feels of Reishi, his little oddity human who was tossed aside by other humans for his mixed blood that caused the odd coloring. To Shaegon it is of little import and only makes the child all the more interesting and dear to him in addition to that apparent innocent and pure nature of the boy himself. All Shaegon can think of as he sits down to teach Reishi his lessons for the day, consisting of math, alchemy, ancient lore and spells along with some reading, is that the darkness which threatens his treasure had best beware for this dragon will not go quietly or easily so long as his treasure is under threat.

[Wolfenone]

The greenery was new to him, as were the towering trees and the lively towns and farms as they flew overhead. He had put away his coat long ago as the climate changed, wearing only his leather and chain armor, his woolen clothing he switched for the lighter cotton under the armor, tough leather boots were in place of his thick leather and fur boots of the snow. A lighter cotton cloak rested around him as Vol’s wings still generated some cooler winds. They hadn’t spoken much in their travels; then again, they rarely do in a friendly manner. Many times the dragon’s wings lulled him to sleep on the beast, the rhythmic pounding of skin, scales, muscle and bone slicing through the air.

 

He wasn’t falling asleep this time as the dragon curled his wings closer to his body and they dropped down from the sky. Vol’s landing was rough as was normal, jarring his passenger in the custom saddle. Dismounting from the beast the man unhooked the straps of the saddle and equipment, Vol shook them off and walked a few steps away. Gray eyes scanned the area; it was a nice bit of cleared land. The dragon laid on the ground with a sounding thud, wings open in an attempt to cool off.

 

“It’s hot,” the dragon rumbled.

 

“According to the locals in the last area its only spring,” Jysriia said as he unsheathed his sword. He looked over the seemingly rusted and chipped metal of the blade, surely not a weapon of combat, and likewise not of his own doing either. The damaged sword was old, both edges used and worn, and it would also appear that it would shatter on contact with anything. His eyes looked over the rusted piece of crap almost lovingly, until he frowned. “Wake up Rafiga, Vol needs you,” he said to the blade as if it listen to him and understand the words that were being spoken.

 

The area around them seemed to grow colder however, a light dusting of snow appeared on the ground and the blade shimmered like ice in the sun, the blade itself was cold to the touch as frost wafted from the weapon. He turned to the giant white beast turned his head to Jysriia. The man walked over to him and offered the weapon to the creature. Vol took it gently and curled around the blade and sighed in relief.

 

Jysriia watched him and shook his head; he took off the cloak and sat it to the side. “Is there a town nearby?”

 

“I smell humans about two hours from here,” Vol said. “I figured from the last place you wouldn’t want to be around them.”

 

“Around them or not they are a good source of information and –“ he pulled out a torn tent. “Equipment.”

 

“What gold? The Baron didn’t give you any.”

 

Jysriia pulled out a dagger and looked at Vol. “Since when has that stopped me before?”

 

“And you wonder why humans hate you,” Vol chuckled. Jysriia walked over to the white beast patting his shoulder and leaned against him. Vol covered him with his wing. “Then again I have no room to talk, that guard was very tasty.”

 

“I hope you didn’t swallow that armor, armor doesn’t sit well in your stomach anymore,” Jysriia said and moved past the wing. Vol growled at him and rolled on his side. Jysriia grabbed the packs and saddle and moved them away from the dragon and then walked over to grab the sword. He looked over it again as it faded back into a crappy rusted sword. He sheathed it and moved away from Vol. The beast sat up and shook slightly. “Town…”

 

“You are getting grumpy,” Vol said and shifted. Jysriia mounted and the dragon grabbed the gear and flew lower until they were closer to the town.

[UndertheWeather]

The warm touch of the morning sun caressed his tired shoulders as he continued to drag the body out of the clear, calm water; his breathing was heavy, his clothes drenched, and his vision wavering from fatigue. Underneath his bare feet, he could feel the grains of sand tickling his skin, and above his head he almost believed that the sun had turned into a ball of raging fire. For the first time after hours, he retrieved his right hand from under his partner’s right arm and wiped the sweat away from his forehead. He had not the slightest idea where he should head to now that Arenith had passed out, and the man whom he had asked to see was no longer in existence.

 

Grimwulf tilted his head upwards, letting his pale face basked under the warm touch of the sun. His cerulean blue hair fell backwards, flowing smoothly down his bare shoulders, a contrast against his clean white vest top. He let out a sigh. Whatever should he do?

 

Just then, his ears picked up a sound from distance away. Voices. Voices speaking. His body straightened up, and his muscles tightened as his body prepared itself to react to any situation that they might come to face. But the voices remained in the distance.

 

Curiosity crept into his being. Again he laboured to drag Arenith, but this time he headed for a nearby rock where he would hide the body for just a few moments while he was away to check out the suspicious voices coming from the distance. As gentle as he could manage, Grimwulf rested Arenith underneath an arched rock away from the crashing waves, and hoped that no one would come round while he was away inspecting the situation.

 

Then, silently, he crept along the shadows of the bushes towards the source of the voices. From behind a bush, he peered at the two figures seated by the shore. He had never seen them, and it did seem odd to him whatever they were doing. Was the older man teaching the younger boy? Grimwulf tilted his head questioningly. Should children not be taught in schools? Whatever they were doing, he hoped they did not seem like a threat to them. He hoped they never noticed his presence.

 

Slowly he made his way back towards the rock where he had left Arenith. Ever so slowly. One step at a time, careful not to make a sound. And then unexpectedly he stepped on a twig, and broke it, and immediately he turned his head towards the two, hoping against hope neither of them had heard him.

[InkompleteWish]

Tyrath grunted after the tiring journey over the mountain pass. Hotaru and he joined a wandering merchant group, Tyrath was in his human form of course, to cross the mountain and the border undetected from the solders of the kingdom they were entering. Though the shape shifter could have flown over the border with his friend, both of them decided not too. Dragons or more precisely shape shifters were a rarity in these times and someone would be rewarded handsomely if they even brought back one, alive or dead. Humans were foolish creatures, always hungering for power and riches. Though as a dragon he valued his own stack of treasures, the bond to his friend and the earth crystals he always carried around, Tyrath was by no means power hungry. Hotaru was also taught that, to not be too greedy and only take the most necessary. He couldn't have the other to begin stealing after all. It was so much work to help the little human grow up that the dragon would do anything to protect the little male from the human influence. But this journey was a fine enemy; they couldn't ignore the humans around and had to interact with them. But Tyrath would bear it, if only for the smile his 'son' would show his way.

 

Hotaru on the hand was happy to be away from the mountain pit they had called home and out in the world. Since he was sent as a servant to serve the great dragon he didn't have much interactions with other humans so this was a welcomed change. The young man accepted the others decision to stay in the background though. Hotaru knew of the distrust that Tyrath showered the humans with and he was really happy and grateful that the other decided to accompany him on this journey. Not long and they would arrive at the nearby town where they could rest. This journey started with one destination in mind, to grow up and learn the way of the world….at least for Hotaru that is. The shape shifter would also gain something, at least the young lad was hoping for that. The black haired older male was sometimes to seclude and cautious. He might have lived through many worse times but Hotaru wanted to show him that there are also good times and good humans. There weren’t just bad humans.

[SqueezeBabe]

It hurt to breathe. His chest constricted and his heart thudded painfully in his chest but still he kept running; the alternative was death. He gasped, the heavy foetid air making it as difficult as possible. It was a stupid thing to have done, he should have let himself be bullied by the others, he should have just let them have their fun… but no, he had to let his pride get in the way of things, and react to their goading; if he could prove that he could do this one thing then perhaps they would leave him alone.

 

It had of course, gone horribly wrong for him.

 

He couldn’t remember how long he’d been running for, only that he had to keep going. The moment he began to slow down, he could hear the terribly howling behind him increase, the very hounds of darkness and decay felt close enough to snap at his heels and drag him backwards into the desolate wasteland he was attempting to escape. Many times he thought about letting go of the object in his hand, but without it, there would be no proof that he’d even retrieved it in the first place, no proof that he’d braved the wastelands in the first place, no proof that he was indeed as capable as everyone else.

 

He felt the snap of jaws behind him, spurring him to run faster, harder. He squeezed his eyes shut, hot tears leaking from the corners and still he ran. When he opened his eyes once more, it was too late. He’d run the way of a dead end; the cliff edge crumbling away with a gust of wind, the same wind blowing dirt that stung his face and filled his mouth with dry grit. He slowly turned away from the cliff edge, to look back the way he’d come, maybe he was far enough in front that he could double back and find another way out…

 

Red eyes glowed in the foggy gloom; a snarl and snap of heavy jaws and the low rumbling of the beasts that followed him echoed around him. He backed away from them slowly, their shadows moving through the tendrils of fog that peppered the landscape behind him. He felt the ground crumble under the heel of his foot, and he spared a glance behind him, immediately wishing that he hadn’t.

 

The darkness stretched out beneath him, a faint sliver of white light to be seen on the horizon. His heart sank with despair; he was still so far away, had he just been running in circles this whole time? The blackness of the void beneath him beckoned seductively, would it be better to fall to his death than be eaten? He looked fearfully at the beasts that drew closer, emerging from the fog like something from a nightmare; they were the things of nightmares.

 

He swallowed thickly, closing his eyes; and stepped out over the edge.

[Lady.Taser]

"Ghnarlan, did you see that building we walked past on the way in. I would love to be able to meet the man who designed that..." Shaun was babbling away and while he wasn't really listening Ghnarlan would feign interest and throw random comments into the conversation when he felt like it. Now was one of those times.

 

"Who says it was a man Shaun? could have been a woman or any number of other races."

 

"Yes well it doesn't really matter who thought it up. Seriously though a clock in a building is a genius idea, Oh I wonder how they power that clock and what kind of repairs they need to do to it." Shaun was talking rather loudly and using a lot of hand gestures as he did. He was trying to avoid attention and this was working and failing at the same time. He was getting attention from people who would look around, shake their heads and sigh at the country bumpkin who hadn't even seen a clock in a building before.

 

A couple of men walked into the tavern and took seats over in a corner. Their actions suspicious as they didn't even buy a drink but hunched over the table, muttering in whispered, muted voices. Shaun who was facing the door of the tavern spotted them and nodded his head towards them as they walked past, just at they entered Ghnarlan's view. It was a motion they used when Shaun wanted to know what people were talking about, yet didn't have good enough hearing.

 

A returned nod of the head from Ghnarlan so that Shaun knew he'd understood and then the red head continued talking loudly for a good 20 minutes before he stood up looking as though he was in a panic. "AH!! Ghnarlan.... I forgot to get rooms for the night. Wait here I will be right back." He rushed off to find the owner of the tavern leaving the smaller man sat at the table. His silver hair cut short just above his shoulders and his chin resting on his hands, one elbow on the table. To anyone it looked as though he was bored, though the men in the corner seemed to have more stories of the darkness growing, he would have to tell Shaun later. Surely the boy would have some wild theories as to what was happening, though likely wrong.

 

Shaun tapped Ghnarlan on the shoulder leaning down and whispering. "All done?" The dragon nodded, the men had now delved into rumours they had heard before and there was no point hanging around. The atmosphere of the place was starting to become oppressive and he needed the fresh air. He was a dragon who was strongest in the skies, both with flight and a level of control over the skies and weather. It wasn't something he chose to use often, instead leaving weather to nature. Occasionally he would give relief to towns plagued by drought, or if needed cause a drought elsewhere. However he could only use what was around him, if there was no moisture in the atmosphere and none to draw on the the surrounding environment then he couldn't make it rain.

 

Shaun led them out of the tavern stretching his arms above his head as they walked down the street. It was late and dark, the streets of the town deserted as everyone were in the taverns or at home at this time and Shaun let his persona slip. "Ghnarlan... are all towns as bad as this one? All villages as bad as mine? Humans.... are we only a self centred race? Ahh It doesn't matter, its not like I'll ever be able to change it." He spoke softly as they walked, not using the telepathy in case anyone walked past and saw them. While he technically had magical ability inside him he couldn't use it and the telepathy was about as much as he could manage. Some how it was always really obvious that he was doing so.

[StainedCrimson]

Shaegon stops mid lecture and snaps around, golden eyes narrowing to mere slits for pupils though that wouldn't be noticeable from the distance between the two beings. Reishi tilts his head wondering why the other has stopped so suddenly, it wasn't like the dragon to just stop their lessons. "What's the matter Shae?" He asks leaning to the side trying to see around the other. While clearly not as big as his dragon form, the child still doesn't possess the skill to see through an object.

 

"Stay here Reishi. I need to go check on something. If your work isn't finished by the time I get back then we're not going flying later." Striding off as he speaks, and ignoring the cry of dismay following his words. He's not sure if this intruder is hostile or not, but he's not about to risk it. Before he'd have just made himself hidden from view or acted like a normal human looking for the dragon as well. That was before he took in the small abandoned child.

 

Giving a long internal sigh he delves into the woods. Being a parent is such hard work... He thinks while holding back a smile. Despite his grumblings or complaints, he wouldn't give up the child for anything. Stilling all of a sudden as he catches a whiff of an unknown scent, Shaegon beelines for the source of it. "Whoever you are, show yourself now and I might be lenient on you for having trespassed on my land." The voice is loud but no trace of emotion is overly evident in it.

[Wolfenone]

Jysriia leaned against the wall just outside the tavern and inn beside the door while Vol was inside. He kept his head down, the wide brimmed hat he had covering as much as his face as possible. He watched people walk back and forth along the street. The door opened and Vol stood there, the male was pale, with white hair and white eyes, he looked like an albino. Jysriia followed the dragon turned human inside the inn and walked up the stairs.

 

Inside the room there were two beds and their packs. Vol glared at Jysriia. “We have two days to get the required funds,” Vol said.

 

“Easy enough,” Jysriia replied, and looked around the room. “Tonight I will stalk,” he answered as he took off the hat and the scarf from around his neck. Standing beside Vol the only things they have in common was their pale eyes and white hair.

 

“Do it now,” Vol said, “I don’t like not having coin.”

 

“It’s in the middle of the day Vol,” Jysriia countered. “If you haven’t noticed I am practically blind.”

 

Vol growled at him and turned around and sat on the bed. He glared at the other. “I don’t like this Jys,” he said again.

 

Jysriia shook his head and grabbed a pack and dug through it. He grabbed a flat leather pouch and tucked it into a pocket. Vol watched him and shook his head as he laid back and placed his hands behind his head.

 

Jysriia grabbed another pouch and headed towards the window. He blinked a few times and went out the window. He vanished in the streets below. He moved through the alleys and streets like a cat, silently to one of the upper class homes. He blinked as water leaked from his burning eyes. He climbed up to the second floor and took the flat leather pouch from his pocket and took out his lock picks. The balcony door was in fact locked. He knelt down and started to work on the lock, he had to blink several times, and he hated the sun light.

 

After a few minutes he opened the door and slipped inside. He kept low to the ground as he looked around the room. He checked the dressers and jewelry boxes. He left the jewelry; it was hard to sell in the same town as it was stolen. He checked under the bed and in the closet. Walking across the hall he listened carefully. The house was darker than outside but not dark enough for his natural site. He paused to listen to any noise. Nothing. He crept down stairs and looked in the den at all the places where people normally hide coin. When he looked in the liquor cabinet, he smiled as he pulled out a pouch and poured the coins in his palm. He took the pouch and placed it in his vest as he headed back up stairs and out the balcony window and locked it back.

 

That was an easy job, much easier than the others before. Back in the inn room he tossed the pouch to Vol.

 

“That didn’t take long, and you have no blood on you,” Vol said. Jysriia nodded his head in agreement. Vol sat up and emptied the pouch, gold, silver and copper coins fell onto the bed. “This will last a while.”

 

Jysriia put his lock picks away and nodded his head again. “I didn’t like how easy that was,” he answered with a frown. Vol looked at him and then back to the pouch. “There were no guards or watches in the back alleys, makes me wonder who actually runs this town.”

 

“We’ll leave tomorrow.”

 

“I want to stay,” Jysriia said. “I want to work the night and see what lurks in the shadows. Information, the Baron is wanting an update and with that last city we got nothing, I want to know more about this one. Dos shlu'ta kampi'un siyo?”

 

“'Zil dos daewl,” Vol answered, Jysriia grinned and nodded his head. “I will wake you when the sun goes down.”

[UndertheWeather]

Grimwulf froze in space as he waited for the approach of the spied individual. He hoped against hope that the man would not give too much thought to the broken twig and decide to return to the young male. His fingers dug into the soft soil and his right knee hammered to the ground as he held his crouching posture steadily, holding his breath to silence his presence. His long, cerulean blue hair swayed gently in the wind, but his whole form was as still as a rock.

 

However, as he had expected, the male did not return to the side of his companion but called out for him to reveal himself. If violence were to erupt he was certain that he would be the one who will be dead as a door nail; ground fights were never his strong point despite his capabilities to get into a land combat in his human form. Hopefully, the male was not aggressive and not easily provoked. If that was the case, he could keep his side of the bargain of not being aggressive, or attempt any sort of provocation.

 

He retrieved his hands from the ground, and stood up straight. Brushing the dirt from his hands and knees, he turned to face the blonde male. For a moment his nose twitched, picking up a scent. The man on the other side of the bush, he sensed, might be of his kind.

 

"Please excuse my intrusion," he spoke with the same lack of emotional tone, "I was not aware that this land was owned."

[InkompleteWish]

It wasn't long before the small caravan arrived at the village, nearly a town already, and rested there. For Tyrath and Hotaru however the journey continued. The shifter usually didn't like staying in an unknown place for to long and urged his companion to travel again after a night or two. But it seemed that this time he had to come out on the short end and wait a few days in this town. Hotaru wanted to collect some information’s for their next destiny and stock up on stuff. So far they had been lucky with their money and their travel. Tyrath hated to sell his prized earth crystals, since they were a part of his treasure. He naturally didn't need them since he himself acquired some magical powers from them since he lived so long among them. Tyrath was able to shift the earth a bit to create small slopes and so on. He could not create earth or make it bend in unusual shapes of course but he was able to control it a bit. Small stones, dirt and everything else. The fact that he could shift into a dragon was already amazing enough. If not a dragon, Tyrath usually preferred smaller ground animals from the weasel family. Hotaru was with him on that one. When Tyrath could not shift into a dragon because of his size or even his human form, then he usually chooses a weasel or a marten.

 

But he didn't have to at the moment so he stayed in his human form. Either way, both of them soon arrived at the local tavern and Hotaru booked a room for both of them for a few nights. The shifter on the other hand looked around the tavern and didn't pay much attention to the inn keeper. With a long sigh he followed his charge up the stairs and towards their room. Tyrath hated to stay in human settlements, to unsafe. Speaking of which, since the beginning he could smell a shifter in town. At first it was faint and overlaid with the smell of other humans but now, inside the tavern, he was able to smell it more clearly. For Tyrath it was probably the second time to meet another being like him since he stayed years in his mountain pit. Hopefully they won't do any harm.

[SqueezeBabe]

The first thing he was aware of, was how much his body hurt. The dull ache transformed into sharp spikes as his eyes flickered open and he attempted to move. A groan escaped from his lips sounding unnaturally loud to his ears, the soft muted glow of a candle beside him was too bright for him to bear; his eyelids fluttering closed once more. There was a rustle of clothing and something solid was pressed against his lips. Cold liquid caressed his dry and chapped lips and like a wave he realised just how thirsty he was. It trickled past his lips, he didn’t have the strength to swallow, all he could do was let the water slowly drip down his throat and hope that he didn’t choke. He forced his eyelids to open once more so that he could see the person holding the liquid to his lips, but by the time he managed, the liquid was a distant memory and he was alone. Only the rustling of cloth and a slight smell of… woodsmoke leaving an imprint on his senses to make him believe that someone else had been there.

 

-----

 

Green eyes regarded the object cooly, not quite believing the existence of it. A delicate nose wrinkled as if it had smelt the stench of death and decay, and in a way it had. The dark, heart-shaped stone pulsed faintly with a deep red, almost hypnotic glow, too faint to be seen except in absolute darkness. Those green eyes blinked slowly, before turning away from the evil thing… Who would have thought that the heart of the beast still existed… and had found it’s way into the hands of a human boy…

[Lady.Taser]

Ghnarlan shook his head lightly, the silver waving slightly from the motion. "That is not something I can answer. I have not been to all of the towns and met all of the humans to know. There are individuals who are particularly bad and then others who are all good. Most are in between though, much the same as any race. It is just that you humans have the ability and thought to manipulate the world." His words equally as soft and they passed under the archway marking the edge of town.

 

After his words silence fell and Shaun walked slowly, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed at the sky, it wasn't fully dark yet so only the brightest of stars were shining through. The walked away from the town towards the forest and the clearing which they landed in. What they needed now was a fire to cook the meat Shaun had brought earlier that day. They were interrupted however by the thudding rush of footsteps growing ever closer.

 

In the half dark Shaun saw five silhouettes surround them and Ghnarlan saw the other five in the back bringing the total to ten men who were stood in a circle around he now stationary pair. Blankly staring round at them, squinting a bit Shaun spoke in a rather loud voice to Ghnarlan. "Hey.... I think a bunch of weaklings just tried to surround us."

 

There was a snarl from one direction, followed by a whizz and thud as a small stone passed close to his ear and landed on the path behind him. "I won't miss again." softly spoken words laced with intent floated over to Shaun's ears.

 

"So you are the newest bunch of self proclaimed bandits trying to cause trouble are you?" He smirked as he watched the man load another missile into his sling and prepare to release it in their direction. By this point Ghnarlan had formed a magical barrier around them that could protect them from small missiles such as rocks.

[StainedCrimson]

Shaegon's eyes narrow as he sizes up the intruder, nostrils widening slightly to take in the scent. "Unless you are completely ignorant of the way the land differs with one of our kind watching over it, I find that hard to believe." He nearly hisses out. While the degree varies, when a dragon stays on one territory there is a greater prosperity and life of some sort in the land or the population where the dragon lives. In his case the land is lusher and the wildlife bountiful and larger than most areas and the river is always crystal clear.

 

"That aside, what are you doing on my land? If you've brought trouble with you I suggest you leave quickly as I want no part in it." In human form, coloring aside, he makes an imposing figure at being over six feet tall and that is fully focused on the other dragon with cold uncaring eyes. Short of the small boy he's taken in, others have never held much appeal to him and his patience for outsiders was before limited but is now nearly nonexistent with having a defenseless child to watch over.

 

As Shaegon is dealing with the one seen outsider, Reishi sighs and flops over his small desk as he waits for the other to return. What's taking Shae so long? He huffs inwardly feeling bored and stares at the homework unmotivated. Reluctantly he goes to continue working on it even as his gaze keeps getting drawn back to where his guardian had vanished off into the woods. After finally finishing the work and the dragon still not returning, he huffs and gets up to go find the other even though he doubts the dragon got lost. Only the worry of Shaegon getting angry at him causes him to pause before entering the foliage to look.

[Wolfenone]

Jysriia lay sleeping in the bed as Vol gathered up the coins and placed most of them into the pack of his companion. He rested relaxed a while as he waited for the sun to set. He should go out and appear to try and sell what they have or look for work, it would be odd if he went down to the keeper and gave him coin after he said they had items to sell and no actual coin on them.

 

It was a time later while Vol was starting to doze off when his eyes snapped open and his head tilted upwards. He had been around enough dragons to know that scent, he growled low. Jysriia opened his pale eyes and looked to him. When Vol’s body tensed and white scales ran over his skin he sat up more alert, his hand already on the sheath of his sword.

Shifting from the bed the dragon walked towards the door and opened it slightly. He peered out into the hallway. Seeing first a human male and then the dragon, Jysriia moved off the bed and crouched low, silently taking cues from the other, hand on the hilt of his sword as Vol’s scales grew over his skin and his spikes and horns slid from the flesh. Jysriia’s mouth was dry, Vol wasn’t overly hostile towards anything other than other dragons, and fights between bulls were bloody at least and deadly at worst. A low rumble started in the white dragon’s chest as the air around them grew cold.

 

“Voltric?” Jysriia asked in a whisper.

 

“Hush,” the man snapped at him, this caused Jys to want to snap back but wisely remained silent. Jysriia could see claws start to break the skin on Vol’s hands. He moved to the door looked out and then closed it. He looked up at the dragon.

“This isn’t the tundra, don’t start fights,” Jysriia scolded.

 

“You shouldn’t be talking about starting fights,” Vol hissed back.

 

“You don’t have territory to defend, and don’t bring up my fighting habits, I don’t try to fight they just don’t want to die easily,” the other defended.

 

“I have territory here,” Vol countered.

 

“If you say me I am stabbing you in your sleep.”

 

Vol growled at him Jysriia held his ground glaring back at the white dragon. “You’re a pain in the ass at the best of times, and downright a nescience. If it weren’t for the Baron I would have already eaten you whole, who knows you may have an accident on this trip.” The white dragon threatened.

 

Jysriia didn’t reply to the dragon right away, instead just glared at him not backing down from the creature even if the room had become frigid, so much so Jysriia could see his breath. “Wake me when the sun sets,” he said instead and went back to the bed and covered himself up before turning his back on Vol.

[UndertheWeather]

"Excuse my ignorance," Grimwulf stated flatly without the slightest hint of regret, "I, and on behalf of my companion, acknowledge your authority of this land. We have travelled from lands afar and I request only for a temporary stay given the poor condition of my companion." His bright blue eyes steadily searched the face of the blonde dragon before fixing his gaze on the eyes of the dragon; his figure was as steady as his gaze and his voice.

 

---

 

The gentle sound of the wind and the bubbling of the river found their way to his blurry consciousness. Arenith raised a tired limb and then the other, glad that he was alive and moving. With a soft thud, he let his arms fall back onto the grass and sighed in relief. Yet within him, there was not much of relief that he could feel; there was nothing that he could understand, only confusion and perplexity from the words of his company. Slowly he opened his eyes, the sun too bright for his eyes that had been asleep for ages now. He blinked furiously. Again he sighed. Where was Grimwulf?

 

Arenith rolled onto his stomach, and with slow and aching progress he got himself up to his feet and staggered around aimlessly.

[InkompleteWish]

It was weird, Tyrath concluded. His own body was on edge after arriving at the floor where their room was located. It was probably due to the fact that another shifter was around; he couldn't suppress a low growl. "Is something wrong Tyrath? You never growled like that?" Hotaru asked his friend and turned around after the shifter stopped walking. Now that the boy thought about it, he was never told about the habits of the shifters. Tyrath didn't talk much about it since he was the only shifter around their little mountain and Hotaru didn't really bother with it. But now that they travel he should probably know. "Nothing, we shouldn't stay here to long however." the darker male replied with a deep voice and urged his charge forwards towards their room. His instincts told him that the other shifter wanted to attack him earlier but it appeared that the other calmed down for some reason or another. His own blood wanted to protect his charge but Tyrath never fought against others of his kind. If you didn't count the one in his adolescence years. A different story but it taught the shifter that he can't trust others easily.

 

Both of them soon disappeared in their room and readied themselves for bed. They talked a bit about shifter behaviour and Hotaru had to agree that they shouldn't stay long. They decided to look around town tomorrow for information and new provisions and hopefully they won't meet the other one head on. As long as they weren't attacked, Tyrath didn't see any reason to attack back.

[SqueezeBabe]

The pain cut through his body like lightning; hot, bright, and incredibly fierce. His back arched so hard he thought his spine would break, the muscles in his body straining and his joints faintly popping... and the intense burning sensation in his chest increased until he swore he could smell his own flesh start to burn.

 

He screamed.

 

-----

 

Green eyes flashed and coal black hair fluttered as he turned towards the sound of the young man screaming. Those eyes glittered as they flickered back towards the heart-shaped stone, did seem to glow brighter for just a moment? The boy screamed again, the sound primal and hoarse, like his life depended on it...

 

A delicate nose sniffed the air and crinkled at the unmistakable smell of burning flesh. His eyes widened slightly and he turned once more to look at the stone that seemed to pulse a little brighter with every scream. The sickly red glow slowly stained with the deep colour of blood...

 

He ran towards the boy, cursing himself for not recognising the dark magic at work, it's insidious spell leaching the very life force from the boy. He was getting old, out of touch with the evil in the world that was slowly creeping back that he hadn't even noticed what was happening.

 

The sight of the boy clawing at the sheets while charred black lines etched themselves into the pale flesh of his chest stopped him momentarily. He gritted his teeth and strode forward pulling the covers off the shaking sweaty body. His eyes narrowed as he watched the smouldering line creep further and with a grimace, placed his own hand over the brand that was forming.

 

A hiss escaped from between his teeth as pain shot up his arm and threatened to take hold of his body. With a sibilant whisper of power he began to take control of the evil force, the boy was clearly too weak to fight off the evil, he couldn't even sense any real power within the frail human body, and it looked like the only way to save him would be to bond with him...

 

There was no question that he needed to be saved, he'd found the heart of the beast and that in itself meant something ... He took his hands from the boy and picked up the now dry washcloth from the basin that was beside the bed and folded it carefully; when the boy opened his mouth to scream he pushed the cloth between his lips... what he was about to do was going to hurt far worse than what the human was going through now...

 

-----

 

It had taken hours, it felt like it had taken years but the boy had lived. Lines flared an emerald green before fading into an angry red, stark against the pale skin. The original burn on his chest was still there, it's shape unmistakable to those who actually knew what it was, his own brand covered it; it covered most of his upper body, snaking down across his abdomen and down his arms in an intricate scaled pattern. He extracted the cloth from between the boys teeth, noting that despite his best efforts, the boy had still managed to bite his tongue and the inside of his cheek.

 

He cleaned the boys body gently, almost reverently as his bond began to solidify; the boys thoughts coming through in fevered snippets. It would take a while for the two of them to get used to the connection they now shared... it had been a very long time since he'd bonded with another living creature...

 

Agamemnon, a name that hadn't been heard for centuries, a name that was legend itself would once again be spoken.

[StainedCrimson]

"Your ignorance is of no concern of mine except it puts what I protect and look over in danger. Take me to this companion of yours and perhaps if his condition is truly as grave as you make it sound, then I might arrange help to get you on your way. I want the trouble you bring in your wake out of my lands as soon as possible. Now, show me this companion of yours." Shaegon waves a hand to indicate the strange dragon to lead the way.

 

Cold eyes watch the other dragon closely, but at the same time the unease grows stronger at the implications of what another dragon bearing a companion appearing could mean. Just as they get about where the human had been left, Shaegon stops, his gaze suddenly focusing on a spot in the foliage. "What did I tell you? Get back to the cave." His voice is sharp and no nonsense causing a soft squeak in the dense foliage and rustling as the small boy rushes back out of the woods having been caught.

 

Nnnn, Now Shae's going to scold me and make me do more maths.... Reishi internally whines before stopping suddenly with a gasp. What if he really won't take me out tonight now? With a long low whine he continues his way back to the cave to sit and wait. All of a sudden though he slams into someone and falls with soft 'oomph'. Blinking in confusion he looks up at the tall man and looses what little color he can lay claim to. Oh no... Shae. Starting to shake slightly he stares up at the human, already anticipating a less than friendly reaction.

[Lady.Taser]

The stones flew from a distance, released on cue and all of them bounced uselessly off the barrier landing on the floor in a small wave. Angry sounds came from all around as Shaun turned to face the leader.

 

"You know... banditry is a bit of a stupid way of life... I mean it can't get you that much, you obviously aren't well known enough to have hordes of cash piled away. Can't really have much of a family or love life really..... are you even getting any... you know... action?" Over the years Ghnarlan had noticed something very important about his young human. The boy didn't know when to shut up, and while he stood there nonchalantly mouthing off to the fuming man it was one of the times he really needed to shut up.

 

Shut up Boy. You'll get yourself hurt Ghnarlan saw the breif moment where his body tensed and Shaun thought about the words, then decided he wasn't in much danger and the tension dropped and he smirked at the bandits. Clearly not expecting the crossbow bolt that flew through the air and lodged itself in Shaun's left leg. Ghnarlan froze for a moment as rage built up. He hadn't been expecting any crossbows. It was faster and more powerful than hew had been expecting so he hadn't guarded against it.

 

For a few moments nobody moved, not Shaun and Ghnarlan, nor the bandits, all waiting to see what happened. Shaun's face twisted in pain as his leg gave way beneath him. Landing on the hard stone ground with a dull noise. Ghnarlan's eyes burned with rage and the moment he saw his human hit the ground he acted. First looking more carefully around him, seeing what weapons they had, nothing stronger than a cross bow. Quickly and quietly strengthening the barrier to the faster missles before he stepped forward. Extending his arm he began to call on the wind, a light breeze brushed past his face as he infused more force into the wind. Under his hand a small tornado began to form, picking up small pieces of rock and stones that lay on the ground.

 

Pushing the magic away from him he allowed the tornado to grow in size and power, picking up larger stones now. When he was happy with the strength of it he sent it after the men, who had been frozen in horror as they watched the man silently control the elements. As the tornado reached the leader they saw it was powerful enough to pick up a fully grown man and fling him around. The unfortunate victim found himself assaulted by stones and rocks as he spun around, then all to quickly the man was thrown from the tornado and he flew through the air a good distance before landing in some trees. Even from the distance they could hear the snapping of branches as the man fell.

 

The bandits held for another heartbeat before they were all scrambling to be the first out of distance of the strange man and his magic. Some of their weapons fell to the ground and not one ran towards the woods yet, all running back to town.

[InkompleteWish]

Tyrath yawned. Though they went to bed late at night yesterday, they stood up around 5 in the morning. Though the shifter wasn't particularly lazy, he was enjoying long naps now and then. So standing up that early made him a bit groggy. Hotaru on the other hand was already up and about. While his companion had trouble to wake up earlier on, the human did some errands already. He spoke with the host of this tavern and bought some food and water for their journey ahead. So both of them just had to look for information where to travel next. They didn't have a destiny in mind when they started this journey. Tyrath just felt something pull at his very being to start the journey. It was a bit mysterious but they may find out about the cause during their travels. Though he lived for a long time already, the dragon still didn't know all about himself. Some parts of his past were hazy, especially the time when he was born and his childhood. Up till now he never bothered with remembering but now he was slightly interested. What made him lose his memory he wondered.

 

Either way. While the black haired man tried to fully wake up, Hotaru barged into the room and said excited "Hey Tyrath. This town is really big and the people are nice. They said that the bar in the south district was a good source to get information." he spoke, breathlessly. The young lad probably ran back here just to tell him that. "Very well, let's visit it then." the shifter spoke and stood up from the bed. His mind was still a little muddled from sleep but otherwise he was awake. So he heaved the provision and everything else they are carrying onto his back and left the room, Hotaru already having run ahead. After paying for the night they continued their way towards the southern district of the town. It grew a bit shadier and it was obvious that this part wasn't all that friendly to strangers. The usual 'dark corner' of every place they visited so far. But these parts of the town usually held the most interesting information so they had to take the risk.

[Never]

Bits of crimson, scarlet and maroon seemed to drift amidst the pale moonlight. The fetidness fragrance of blood devoured entirely the peaceful serene atmosphere that the harmonious forest once had. Mingling with the uncommon scent, the unpleasing sight of crude savage battle still remained along with four obscure figures squeezing against the enfeeble wooden stems seeking for camouflage between the unfathomable jungle.

 

"Master, how is your leg?" The young man framed the question with a slightly skewed face.

 

"It's good, Richard. No need to worry. We should be concerned with Rhaegal's arm.." The time-worn man roughly inclined his head, placing a worried gaze upon a much thinner male.

 

His almost colorless eyes displayed arrogance and pride as he impatiently dragged the fourth party down. "My right arm is horrid aching." He gritted his teeth as careless threw a cringed man to the muddy floor. "The damage is far greater than we expected, I probably won't be able to take all of us to the aimed location..." He stopped his glare at the shrieks before his feet, making the frightened creature rush to cower behind the aged Master.

 

"Don't scare him, Rhaegal. You should try to be nicer. "Declared the young man as approached the frightened small-sized country-dweller man. "I'm sorry..Did he bully you again?" He displayed a gentle smile.

 

"Richard...You're too softy. This coward you insist so badly to get a nicer treatment attempted to escape and probably fingered our hidden spot!" He furiously pointed at the trembling male.

 

"He did not.."

 

"Hush you both. I need to show something." The old man strived to stand as took a wrinkled paper from his pocket." Take this, it will lead you to your next goal. And also...Richard..." He abruptly held the man's slim hand whilst slipped a mirrored rounded object. "When you arrive the village, search for that man I’ve told you about and show this emblem, I'm sure he will remember me and help you..."

 

"No. I won't need it since you are coming with us!!I..." Before Richard could finish the sentence an ear-piercing howl was heard as arrows emerged from the woods.

 

"I can't believe it...." Murmured Rhaegal, the traps I've set should have given us more time...Unless..." The Dragon man abruptly turned to stare icily to the cowered man, he was still shivering in the same place, his slightly crooked nose drip dropping behind the old man robes.

 

"You...WEASEL!" Shouted the angered dragon as forcefully grabbed the male's collar.

 

"It wasn't me!!" Shouted the pitiful looking man.

 

"Then what was...." A sharp arrow briskly hit Richard's leg, making him gasp in pain.

 

"You have no time for it. Go." Urged the Old Master. "I will hold them as much as I can!"

 

"Let's go, Richard" The Dragon man started his shift shaping. "We really have no time, I can only carry you!"

 

The man bit his bottom lip. "Be alive, Master. I will recover our village!! Just wait.."

 

A couple of swordsmen came from the trees. "Chief, we found them!!"

 

"Go! Now!!!" Cried the old man as grabbed a bow and tossed a silver sword to the servant mannered male.

 

"Goodbye." The Green Dragon spread his wings. "And…thank you." A softy voice gently resounded almost like a whisper. The Master and the previously frightened male tilted their heads alarmed at the foreign behavior. Their imagination must be playing tricks on them.

 

A green dragon dived into a rain of arrows as the moonlight glowed over the jagged objects enlightening their new path.