Dragon Embers (Exellda and StainedCrimson) (Private) (18+)

[Exellda]

My Character:

 

 

 

 

 

[bASICS]

Name : Gareth

Nickname: Gar-bear (Only by the people he's close to and family)

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Occupation: None

 

Bio: Gareth was born on a medium continent called Sabbas. His people are very secluded, all having black hair and black eyes (except for him, he has crystal blue). His people have the ability to shapeshift into dragons. Every year, when the festival occurs on the continent of Traeh (the biggest continent, most populated), a select few fly around all of the continents in a race. Whoever returns first gets a grand prize. Those who simply return are warmly welcomed. And those who never return are presumed dead. Of course the people of Sabbas knew about the other people, the other continents... They were just not interested in mingling.

 

[ORIENTATION]:

Sexuality: Unsure

Position: Seke

Relationship Status: Single

Crush: None

Species: Dragon

Dragon: Appears very spiky, mostly black with green highlights.

Powers: Transform into a dragon, flight, fire breath -anything that ties in with dragons basically

 

[APPEARANCE]:

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Crystal Blue

Weight: 180

Height: 6' exactly

Scars: None (Yet)

Tattoos: None

Piercing(s): None

Diseases: None

 

[FEARS]: Falling from the sky, getting lost, losing, small spaces.

 

[LIKES]: The colors Black and Forest Green. The woods. Flying.

 

 

Dragon form: Depending on his eye color determines the highlights.

 

 

 

 

 

Starter:

 

 

Today was the day that Gareth would finally be able to see the world for himself. At the age of 25, that was when Sabbians (Sah- bee- en- s) were declared 'mature' enough to fly. Unfortunately, Gareth's birthday was three days after the event... So he was no old enough to participate last year. Now, he was one of the oldest that would be flying this year. On one hand that didn't bother him too much. What bothered him was the fact that many who were his age teased him because he was the only one who didn't get to go last year. After a Sabbian turned 25 they could then choose to participate in the flight event. Although after the first flight, many tend to stick around.

 

This event only came around once a year. It was purposely scheduled a whole day ahead of the rest of the world. So that when the dragons took flight, they would arrive when the festival on Traeh would start.

 

Gareth was just anxious. He was overall excited to venture out. Curiosity pulled at him and every night he wondered what the world looked like outside of Sabbas (Sah- ba- ss). As far as he was concerned, as well as the elders, he was destined to see the world anyway. Unlike his kin, his eyes were of crystal blue... While everyone else was that of stormy grey- all the way to that of the darkest black. At first, when he was little, other children would mock and poke fun at him for being different. But he could not help the way he was born. Gareth was an unhappy child, teen- well almost half of his life. A part of him cursed the fact that he was different while the other part of him felt happy to be unique... Gareth looked forward to the day he find out why he was born 'special'.

 

However as he got older, meaning, once he was around 15, he stopped caring about what others said or thought. As he got into his 20's he began to dream of the outside world. Sometimes he would sit on the edge, in the sand, staring out trying to see passed the fog. There were few days that he could fully see the horizon. If he was lucky, he could climb a tall tree and see even further, but that was definitely a rare occurrence. The volcano was the source of the fog that shrouded Sabbas. His people were so use to it, that they were not bothered by it.

 

All thoughts aside, Gareth felt uneasy about today and the rest of the night. He felt like his life would change somehow- If his eyes were anything to go by.

 

The day started early for Gareth. Much preparations were dealt with. The people of Sabbas had a morning feast, so those who were flying could have strength for the great flight ahead of them. And it was at noon that Gareth stood in front of the elders, about to take off along with six others, three women and three men. He wasn't aiming for the grand prize. Gareth had no intentions of being first- despite the fact that he hated losing. No, the blue eyed male wanted to take his time to see the world. Going at a slow pace he should still be back either the day of or right after his birthday. In a sense, he supposed that he would come back a different man.

 

After the elders did their ceremonial 'goodbyes', each participant was given a necklace, which had been made the day before. The necklace had one scale on it, a scale that belonged to the participant. In other words, a scale from their dragon form. These necklaces were served as good luck charms. They are a reminder to stay strong, resilient, and to carry on. After the necklace is placed around his neck, permission to fly is thusly granted. Gareth took no time. He said his goodbyes and ran. Almost with haste, mostly out of excitement, Gareth easily transformed into a dragon. As soon as he saw a clearing, he took off.

 

The air of freedom felt so good going through his lungs. His wings flapped a little harder. Adrenaline coursed through him. He would follow the tradition, like the other dragons, and go in order. Dragons always headed for Vynnaus (Vin- ah- ss) and because of the distance, it usually took the rest of the day. By nightfall they would arrive.

 

Along the way, Gareth saw wondrous things. Giants in the sea, he presumed as whales. A sky so clear, he thought he was swimming. It was absolutely glorious. By the time he got to Vynnaus, however, he felt relieved. Traveling such a distance was very tiresome and required a lot of magic. The 7 of them ate like pigs that night and anxiously awaited the morning.

 

By the time the sun had risen, the dragon were already on their way to Traeh (Trah- eh). The festival was already starting in the early morning. Amongst the people, as a tradition, the people of Sabbas maintained their dragon forms for a whole day- and then some. Gareth knew that as soon as he would arrive, or from what he was told, the people would greet him. Offerings would be shared... And basically it would be a big party across each nation.

 

It was almost noon when they finally arrived. Out of all the dragons, Gareth didn't realize until now, he was apparently the scariest... So none of the children were coming to him. How strange it was to see people of many different cultures come to see his kin. Yet, even as an hour had past, no one dared to get to close to him. Oh, Gareth felt left out. They were located in the central city, where the big events were happening.

 

Don't worry Gareth. Just lay still. The people will come to you if you allow them. Marel (Mah- reh- l), one of the elder female dragons said, comforting him mentally. Each dragon could speak to one another through telepathy.

 

Why won't they come near me? Gareth asked, his dragon form huffed out smoke.

 

Lay down Gareth. The children here are not familiar with you. As you are, you are probably scaring them. Marel was a white dragon, one that looked gentle, kind and sweet. Fiex (Fee-x), female, was a red dragon with curly horns on her head. Goran (Go- rah- n), male, was a small green dragon- about six feet tall. Klane (Kl- A- nn), male, was a light blue dragon that was covered in fluffy fur. Vin (Vine), male, was a lavender color, feathery wings. And then there was Gareth... All scales, he was mostly black with blue highlights on every sharp spike he had. His teeth were probably the sharpest. So yeah, he was the scariest. And Gareth was actually bummed that he wasn't getting attention. He did not wait a whole year just to be underappreciated...

 

Gareth let out a snort, which was actually a sigh and he did what he was told. The dragon just laid down and tucked his wings, trying to look as 'nice' as possible. After a minute, he snorted again, Are you sure this will work?

 

Marel's dragon seemed to smile at him, then nodded. So it looked like Gareth would have to wait it out.

 

 

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[StainedCrimson]

 

Name : Silvius

Gender: Male

Age: 26

Occupation: Nomad

 

Bio: Silvius was born into the life of a nomad, his people never staying long in one place and rarely interacting with others. Oftentimes his people would go far out of their way to avoid a town or village. His people go to great lengths due not only to their magical abilities, but for the fact they are unicorn. Unlike the unicorns of myths and legends, however, his people are not 'white' and 'pure' seeking only virgins to lay their heads upon the virgin's lap. No, the unicorn race is one of color, magic, and music. It is this combination that, once a year, entices many to shed their unicorn forms and mingle with the human race on Traeh. The festival and dragons garner enough excitement, music, and magic (the dragons) that a few unicorns each year to take on human form and intermingle for a brief time before once more vanishing.

 

[ORIENTATION]:

Sexuality: Bisexual

Position: Seme

Relationship Status: Single

Crush: None

Species: Unicorn

Unicorn: Crimson body with dark points around his legs, and blue-black mane and tail. His horn is a spiral of dark ruby and ebony.

Powers: Transform, magic, others unknown.

 

[APPEARANCE]:

Hair Color: Black and red intermingled

Eye Color: Blue-gray/slate

Weight: 210

Height: 6' 1"

Scars: Net and fine chain-like scars that's hidden when in unicorn form, human form they appear silvery and can be seen across his body but mostly on his back and neck.

Tattoos: None

Piercing(s): None

Diseases: None

 

[FEARS]: Being captured, having his horn taken.

[LIKES]: The woods and forests, running, swimming.

 

 

Unicorn form:

 

 

It was that time of year again. The sounds of music, laughter, and excitement filling the air and reaching into even the deepest and remote of forests. Unseen by those in the far off town, protected by the ancient forest they are currently residing in, a herd of unicorns perk up and look towards the town. These are not the unicorns of legend however. No, not a single unicorn is pure white or delicate in any manner. Even the smallest female was around 15 hands tall - the size of small thoroughbred. The largest unicorn, clearly the head stallion of the herd, stood a proud 20 hands tall if not more.

 

Despite their large size, they were still captivating to look at. Shades of all sorts could be seen and not one 'typical' color could be seen as a main color among them. There were reds, blues, oranges, yellows, pinks, and many more. Sure there were less colorful aspects to some of them such as black or white manes or socks, but not one could ever pass for a normal horse even if they did not have a large spiral horn on their forehead.

 

After listening to the sounds for a few long moments, many slowly return to their activities, either eating or grooming one another. One unicorn kept staring though, and soon began to step towards the town. The large stallion looked at unicorn leaving causing the red and black to pause. The two look at one another before the lead stallion gives a small dip of his head signalling his allowance of the other to go. With a snort and shake of his head, the young male continues his walk to the village that will soon have a large festival in swing.

 

Ears pricked forward, the unicorn soon is at a slow trot eager to reach the town around the same time as the dragons. Even though he is the only one from his herd to go this year, Silvius is excited to surround himself with new sounds and sights. The dragons provide enough distraction that even his people will risk going into town for a few hours or a day to intermingle with humans and partake of the joyous celebration.

 

That is not to say it isn't dangerous though. There have been times where a unicorn has been spotted and either trapped or killed by those who know of them and hunt them. After little over a day of travel he reaches the edge of the forest, and after examining his surroundings carefully, shifts to his human form. While initially naked, he waves his hand and soon clothes appear on his form along with a cloak which he pulls the hood up while leaving the forest.

 

Pausing at a still spot of river, he makes sure his hair and hood cover the mark on his forehead where his horn would be if he were in his other form, then strides into the town with the others who are coming to enjoy the festival. Shifting through the crowds he takes stock of the fashion and after ducking through a few twists and turns, adjusts his clothes to fit in and even snatches up a partial mask that will conveniently cover his forehead.

 

Soon he is lost in the sights and sounds of the festival and laughs openly, relishing in the music and magic that only seems to come out at events such as this. The energy suddenly shifts and Silvius knows immediately what that means.

 

The dragons have arrived.

 

While he knows he should slip away while everyone is preoccupied, he can't help but want to at least glimpse the other species that is much like his except they aren't hunted. Well, as far as his kind knows at least which to be fair as a reclusive species doesn't mean much.

 

Glancing around, he decides to take his chance and soon manages to get a glimpses of two dragons, one red and one white. The crowd jostles him though until he spots a third one that seems to be... sulking? At least, that is what it seems to him as it lowers its head to the ground. Somehow he ends up closer to that dragon as the others either try to get away or seem uncertain of the greenish dragon. Just as he makes eye contact with the large creature, he spots someone frowning while looking at him.

 

Keeping the individual in his peripheral, Silvius shifts as though also trying to get away from the more intimidating dragon while simultaneously backing further into the ground. Once he loses sight of the person Silvius runs through the town to leave. He can hear the clatter of pursuit behind him, but even when in human form he is far faster than any human and soon is out of the town and into the forest. Upon entering it he vanishes his clothes and shifts into the form that will allow him to lose any potential pursuers.

 

Soon he is no more and those that had sought to capture him curse and spit and they try to find any sign of the now long gone unicorn.

[Exellda]

Laying there was absolutely boring. Gareth was so bored out of his mind that he was actually falling asleep. He couldn't help that he was 'scary'... And it wasn't like he could turn into his normal self and tell everyone that he was generally a nice guy. Or at least tell them that he wouldn't eat them. He laid there and watched as no one would approach him. He started to notice that Marel was saving offerings instead of eating them... He had a hunch that she was going to share some of them with him. At one point he told her that it didn't matter. She didn't need to save him offerings...

 

Although... It was about a half an hour later that his stomach grumbled, and notably some people glanced over cautiously. Being in his dragon form cost energy and magic... Not having any offerings made him feel a little nauseous. He thought about napping in an attempt to ignore the feeling. Would it hurt if he left to go grab a bite? Should he stay? Some smoke escaped his nostrils as he asked Marel if he should leave to fetch food. It looked like she was going to offer him something when, in her dragon form, she tilted her head and said, "Seems you have a visitor."

 

And sure enough when Gareth's eyes glanced over, it appeared that a male was approaching him. "What do I do? Should I get up?" His dragon form snorted a reply quickly to Marel.

 

She simply replied, "Just stay still, dear. Let him come to you. I am sure you'll be fine."

 

And so, Gareth held still slightly surprised that someone would come to him and at the same time, happy and relieved. It was a handsome looking man. The temptation to rise up and approach the other being bubbled within him, but he listened to Marel's warning. Unfortunately, this moment was very short lived. Fore, even though he had even made eye contact with the man, the connection was gone in an instant. The other male's eyes darted away from him, looking at another person. Too soon the other male had left him, and if Gareth hadn't known any better, it seemed as though the other male was following him. Out of frustration, and slightly out anger Gareth blew a huge stream of smoke into the crowd. Effectively, this distracted the entire audience within a twenty foot distance of him.

 

"Gareth! You're scaring the people!" Scolded Marel, who extended who wings momentarily, flapping them twice, removing some of the smoke.

 

"But Marel! That guy was going to come near me and was chased away." He growled, followed by another sigh, "It's fine... It's not like anyone else will come near me now." After the guy left things seemed to more or less smoothly, although over time Gareth was beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable. Mostly because he had been in his dragon form all day. Hours somehow passed, dragging on slower and slower... It was even more grueling when he was practically starving. Marel was kind enough to share some of her fruits with him. Literally, tossing fruits and meat, which he would catch into his mouth. Some of the kids tried to copy Marel as well, which surprised Gareth, but nonetheless was happy about it.

 

As the festival dragged on, eventually the kids were taken by their parents because it was their bedtime. There were few hours of the day left and Gareth just wanted rest. He was covered in flowers, fetti, and other decorative items and paint. He was full, but still felt like he could have eaten a little more. Despite that, he was thankful for what he did receive. He couldn't eat anymore because it was pretty much time to go. Some people brought baskets that could be strapped onto him, so that he could carry his food home. How generous. Now it was as what he would call, the 'adult' party... Where thankfully, he would be able to leave soon.

 

Finally, Marel spoke out when the time was right. "It is time to go... You have to finish the ritual, this might be the last time you see these people. We're leaving now. It's already getting late. " With that, Marel turned to gather her things. So Gareth had a short amount of time to get ready also. The dragon slowly got up and stretched.

 

Gareth looked over his shoulder once more before he left the festival. Maybe one day he'd see that guy again. It was a weird feeling, but he just felt like it was instinct, he would see him again. With that last lingering thought, he followed the other dragons and they took off not too long after. Now, it was a small flight to the edge of the continent. They technically had one more trial to face before they could freely roam the rest of Ethra. As soon as they found a remote place, just along the coast of Traeh, each dragon revealed their human forms. All of them were exhausted from the exertion of magic. As the ritual goes, they had the option of resting here before leaving to whatever destination they chose. Be it traditional or otherwise, the dragons would be set free to go wherever after they got something the country of Leehix (Lee- h- ix). Basically, the goal was to bring something home, anything like grass, food, clothing and so forth from each country. It is the proof each dragon will need to pass the ritual.

 

Upon landing, Gareth switched immediately into his human form and then fell over into the sand. It felt amazing to be human again. Yes, everyone else was exhausted too, but they had only about an hour before they had to take flight again. So they were to rest up while they could. Of course, Marel told everyone that they should sleep and rest... But he couldn't Gareth sat next to the shore, looking at the moon fully for the first time. Today had been the first time he had seen the sun fully... Although he was in his dragon form. He wondered how it would be if he was in his human form. Gareth found himself daydreaming about it, his curiosity just kept growing. What would the future bring him?

[StainedCrimson]

Once Silvius loses the hunters in the forest, he snorts angrily while shaking his head as a large hoof stamps down. He may not be as large as his father yet, but at a good 19 hands he wasn't far off and still had some growing to do, and his hooves were no joke. Sharper than diamond and as large. They were definitely something that could cause significant damage. Most only think to watch the horn, but anyone who knew anything but equines knew to also beware of hooves and teeth.

 

With another snort he heads off to find the herd. Even though he will eventually have to decide if he wants to stay with the herd or leave to form his own, for now he will do what it takes to protect his family and that means alerting them to the danger of hunters knowing they are there. Taking off at a gallop Silvius heads to the deepest part of the forest and looks for his herd. Finally spotting them he goes up to his father and relays what had happened. His father has the same reaction, his great head shakes as he snorts while his hoof digs a deep trench in the earth. Finally the large stallion issues a call to move out.

 

Soon the other unicorns stops what they're doing and quickly head towards the most remote terrain of the island. The thick vegetation and sheer cliffs will help to make it difficult for the hunters to get to them before they are all off this island and on their way to another. Though large and colorful, the herd moves fast and just as silently as a large cat stalking through the woods. By the days end they reach the inner edges of the great forest and can smell and hear the crashing of waves on the cliffs.

 

They slow their pace and make their way cautiously to the cliffs. So far there has been no sign of the hunters, though even there were it is unlikely they would try to go after an entire herd. There's still no point in taking chances so they settle down for the night on the edge of the cliffs and set up watch shifts until they head off in the morning. Come morning when the unicorns are preparing to leave, Silvius is charged with following after the herd with a few others to make sure there are no signs of their presence and to sound an alert should there be any trouble.

 

With the orders given out, the Stallion leads the way and leaps off the cliffs landing in the waters below. Others quickly follow and soon the only way to spot the unicorns is if one is able to spot the portion of the horn that is above the surface of the water. Soon only Silvius and one other are left, and then just Silvius. He stares out into the forest feeling irritated and frustrated. His one day of enjoyment had been taken from him, and now his herd has been forced to move ahead of schedule. Damn those humans and so help him should he encounter any other who thinks to try and capture him!

 

With one last disdainful look aimed towards his unseen foe, he turns and and dives into the water to join the others. Eventually they make their way to their next stop, but it's not the island closest to the one they had been on. No, instead it is an adjacent one that takes the herd a large portion of the day to swim to. Upon arrival they immediately head to where they can graze and eat their fill to restore their spent energy. Though there time eating is cut short when they smell an incoming storm and quickly head out in search of shelter.

 

They find caves on a nearby mountain and thankfully a few are cavernous enough for the herd to spread out through. Silvius, however, finds a cave a littler further removed so he can watch as the storm makes its way towards them across the water.

[Exellda]

Gareth had lounged by the water, laying down, letting the current wash up and touch the bottoms of his feet. They were resting for a bit and then those who wanted to move on could. Gareth had no reason to stay and was rather excited to see the rest of the world. There were foot steps coming towards him. Gareth opened his eyes to see Marel heading his way. She slowly sat next to him. The elder looked at him, smiling softly as she said, "Fate has wondrous things in store for you, Gareth."

 

He raised a brow, "You think so?"

 

"We can all see it in your eyes, dear, obviously. You were meant to see greater things. I could tell, even today... Your eyes lit up the moment we took off yesterday." Marel said softly, looking up at the moon. Marel sighed softly, looked over at Gareth and her eyes narrowed with interest. "Take your time... You needn't worry about returning to Sabbas is you don't want to. We will miss you, but your destiny, I can tell, is not to live on Sabbas for the rest of your life... You are meant to see the world, my child." And Gareth was about to argue with her, it was against the ritual to do such a thing! "Ah, ah, don't look at me like that, boy. I know what you are thinking. You're allowed to be curious, you know." Marel said with a wink. Gareth's mouth opened in shock. Did he just hear that right? Marel was actually encouraging him to break the ritual!

 

Yet, he felt somewhat satisfied with what she said. Though he felt that he shouldn't be tempted... But Marel was right, he couldn't deny that he was curious... And his curiosity wasn't going to let him pass up the opportunity so easy... But of course he'd have to haul ass back to Sabbas, stopping at the rest of the continents on the way home. He didn't know, his heart and mind were being tugged in two directions... His heart wanted to live a life outside of Sabbas, Marel was right about that. While his mind said no, he should wait until after the ritual because then it wouldn't matter. "I don't know Marel..." His mind told him that he should at least complete the ritual before doing so.

 

The elder just smiled, leaning closer and pulled him into a hug. "Let your mind be at ease, Gareth. You needn't make up your mind yet. There is always time... So how about you rest for the small time we have left? Explore to your hearts content. Otherwise you will be miserable if you don't. I know I am right, so you cannot argue with me." Gareth sighed softly, letting out a small chuckle while wrapping his arms around the elder. They ended up staying like that for a while before Marel told him to sleep a little. Reluctantly, Gareth rest for the remainder of the time.

 

The blue eyed male found himself awoken by Marel some time later. Everyone else was already awake. It was dark now... And it was time to fly, for those who wanted to go. They all said their goodbyes and Gareth was one of them that took off. It felt wonderful to fly again. The moon shined so bright tonight, it guided him to the next island. Gareth didn't actually know what the rest of the world looked like. All he knew was that if he flew in this general direction, he would find his next destination. It had been so dark, he couldn't see anything but the dark waters and the twinkling sky above him. Gareth thought it was pretty though.

 

The sun was setting by the time Gareth could see land in the distance... But that wasn't the problem. For the last five minutes a dark cloud has been hovering over him and it seemed to grow bigger and bigger with each passing minute. He almost had no clue where it came from. All he knew was it was about to rain and he also knew that he should probably land soon. He didn't want to get caught in the rain. So Gareth flapped his wings a little harder. By the time he reached the land, he could feel tiny droplets sprinkling his scales. He wasn't too worried because he knew he could land soon... As long as he got to the ground, he'd be fine! More importantly, he wanted to land in the darkest part of the forest, along with a feeling like he should go in this particular direction. He was sure, with the looming clouds the people below wouldn't be able to see him land, let alone see him due to his black scales. Gareth didn't want to get caught in his human form while he waited for the storm to pass.

 

It was when Gareth thought he found the right place to land that everything seemed to slow down... One second he was in the air, the next- Boom! Gareth was blinded, a something sharp struck through his entire body. A roar of pain could be heard. Then before Gareth could move or do anything about it, the trees were suddenly coming at him- left and right. Internally, Gareth just hung on or as long as he could. His dragon form could handle this fall a lot better than his human form could- But then he felt something impaled his skin. Gareth didn't even have the chance to roar in pain as suddenly and finally, the ground came to him. The dragon hit the ground hard and for a moment, he didn't move at all. The dragon's breaths were heavy. A big gash was formed across his back, a branch still lodged into his skin.

 

A low groan escaped the dragon. Gareth tried to calm himself, breathing harder while trying to keep his eyes open. Was it over? No trees were going to fall on him? Okay... Gareth didn't even care in the moment, he transformed back into his human form. He tried to get up off the ground but it hurt to move. Blood was going to start pooling around him if he didn't find a way to heal himself. However Gareth didn't have any healing supplies. Great. The blue eyed male closed his eyes. Just great. Maybe he wouldn't return home after all... Maybe he should have waited.. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that though because he had to figure out how he was going to survive now! Gareth let out a helpless groan as he tried to move again, he felt so weak and dizzy. Surely he must have been struck by lightning! He could barely manage to lift his head and no matter how hard he tried to fight it, he felt himself start to lose consciousness...

[StainedCrimson]

Silvius saw the form flying towards the island, close to where the herd was actually. Shifting to human form, he quickly presses himself tight against the wall to watch where the figure goes. The sudden flash of light makes him turn away to protect his eyes, but the unicorn can hear the roar of pain. By the time Silvius is able to look back, the dragon is already falling though is clearly trying to mitigate any further damage. Yet the dragon seems to be be on an unlucky streak as something is able to pierce the tough hide before the large beast can safely land.

 

When he sees the large dragon suddenly vanish from the destruction zone that was its landing site, his eyes widen with the knowledge that the dragon must have been hurt bad enough to risk going to human-form. Silently, but swiftly, Silvius fades into the growing darkness and storm to report to his father what happened.

 

The large stallion snorts and shakes his head at the news, however he agrees with Silvius that the dragon cannot be left out in hte elements. Not out of any sense of comradeship or kindness, but because if a human saw the crash and found the human body they might not only realize that dragon's have human shape; they might look around and stumble across the herd as well. Silvius along with two others are charged with bringing the dragon to the caverns while the rest of the herd is told to either go further into the caves or shift into human-form to make them seem more like a traveling band of humans.

 

The orders are swiftly followed and soon three unicorns dart out into the growing storm to gather up their charge. When they arrive, the dragon's human body is easily found. They frown seeing the severity of the wounds, but there is nothing to be done about it at the moment as they have nothing on hand to help the other. Shifting before they get too close, the quickly decide that the easiest thing to do would be to carry the body back with them. If the dragon is unconscious, then one will carry him in unicorn form, ut otherwise they will have to do so in human form. Even to dragons unicorns are little more than myth and legend and none of them have any plans to change that.

 

With that settled they make their way to bleeding form in the middle of the destructed area. They cautiously approach the still form, one going so far as to poke the prone body with a stick and then his foot, before deciding that their rescue was indeed unconscious. As he would be the biggest out of all of them, Silvius shifts and one of the others assists with getting the bleeding body onto Silvius. One keeps a hand on the unconscious male to make sure he doesn't fall off while the other gets up behind him to hold him on as they head back to the caverns.

 

Once settled, the other shifts as well and they dash through the forest as the storm finally hits. They make it to a cave that is connected to the others, but closer to where Silvius had been sitting alone than where the herd itself is at. After all, even though most of the herd is in human form now there is no need to recklessly bring a stranger into their midst. Snorting his displeasure at being wet and covered in blood, Silvius holds still as the others get the male off of his back and onto the makeshift bed that someone had made while they were gone.

 

As they get the bleeding form on the ground, a female approaches quietly with a kit and begins to look the rescued stranger over and patching him up. Once done she leaves and the three set up a camp and begin making their evening meal while waiting to see if the other wakes up. When he doesn't by the time the meal is starting to cook, Silvius heads out to let the rain wash off the blood that transferred over during his shift then comes in and has clothes cover him to help him hold in warmth.

 

The others follow his lead with clothing then they settle down to wait for the meal to cook and the dragon to awake.

[Exellda]

Some point during his unconsciousness, Gareth began to dream...

 

He was laying on the ground, with tall grass and many flowers. The sun was absolutely blinding but the sky was a wonderful gradient of blue. Gareth sat up hazily, glancing around. What... the fuck? What was happening? This was the most bizarre dream he had ever had. Slowly, the dragon shifter stood up and looked around as a gentle breeze made the grass flow like ocean waves coming into the coast. In the distance he heard a thud noise- no, a trot? Clop-clop-clop-clop. A gallop. That was what Gareth heard. He looked about him, trying to find the source of the sound. It was an animal, he was certain, but where.

 

A gust of wind suddenly rolled a cloud right in front of him just as the galloping got closer and when the cloud moved out of the way. The gallop had slowed into a trot, then a slow walk and Gareth came face to face with a giant horse. The horse was beautiful, magnificent and huge. There was something about it that seemed intimidating, yet Gareth was not scared of the giant beast. No, he felt rather comforted by its presence. Although, this whole experience was strange... It was like he could but couldn't see the horse, like everything was hazy. It was as the horse got closer that Gareth realized that this gentle giant, was not a horse, but a unicorn. Gareth would have been in disbelief had he not already felt like he knew about this to begin with. Everything always made sense in dreams, just not reality.

 

As the unicorn got closer, Gareth found himself extending his hand, letting the creature touch his hand on its own accord. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. But when he opened his eyes, he was no longer on the ground, but straddling the back of the unicorn. He let his hands run through the mane. Soft. And then before he knew it, the horse started moving, right into a full on gallop. Gareth's heart raced as he felt the wind flow past him in a new way that he had never felt before. But then everything came to a halt right after a whine escaped the unicorn. The gentle beast came to a swift halt, sending Gareth flying and falling. Somehow Gareth knew to reach up and out as he fell. He vaguely remembered calling out someone's name and seeing an outstretched hand reach for him.

 

Gareth jolted awake and gasped in pain from the reaction. What? Where was he? Not in the rain? But he could hear the rain. Gareth's eyes opened slowly, blinking a couple times before his eyes were able to focus. He found himself staring at a dark cave wall. The injured male was laying on his side, naked, on some makeshift bed. He was cold yet warm. The only plausible answer for that was because he was warm blooded and being a dragon shifter, lets just say made him hot to the core. It could have been winter outside and Gareth could still somehow manage to break a sweat... Kind of like he was now. The dragon wasn't sure if he was feverish or if he was just hot from the fire nearby. Not that he didn't like fires, on the contrary, Gareth loved the warmed they provided. The hotter, the better. Gareth might be a pyromaniac to some extent.

 

The dragon groaned softly, knowing that he should get up even though he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Instead of rolling onto his back, Gareth rolled onto his stomach. Turning his head he looked over to find three others in the cave with him. To be honest, Gareth was a little scared, considering the predicament he was in. There was no flying away if he found himself in a drastic situation... However, there was no sense on getting worked up because he wasn't even chained down. Which surely meant that these people had no intentions of capturing him... Or so he thought. So, if they were not hunters... Then what were they? Why did they bother to help him? Did they know he was a dragon, and if so, why did they seem to be unafraid of him? Well, it wasn't like he was going to start fighting any time soon... Let alone cause any violence, especially since these people apparently helped him.

 

All in all, Gareth had no idea what to say to these people other than, "Thank you for saving my life. I'm not sure how I could ever repay you." Hopefully they were not expecting money, because he had none of any currency. Then his nostrils caught the smell of food; to which his mouth watered up quickly. It was probably rude, but Gareth was obnoxiously curious, "Who... Who are you people? You're not... hunters, right? Where am I?" Then after a pause, "...whatever you're making smells nice, and if it's not too much of a bother, I was wondering if I could have some?" These guys were nice enough to save him, perhaps they would also be so kind as to share something to eat. He was hungry again, mostly for meat. Even though he was stuffed not too long ago, the flight and the healing process made him hungry again.

[StainedCrimson]

Hearing the prone male groan, all three glance over but Silvius' companions ignore the male they helped to save. While to others the three of them may seem nonchalant, which Silvius is as he knows that should the other attempt anything than the unicorn can more than put up a fight to make the other think twice, the others are tense with the risk of having an outsider in their midst. Even if that outsider is a dragon and just as at risk as they are when in human form.

 

When the dragon speaks, Silvius turns to face the male and looks him over while listening to the words of thanks and weighing the request. Slowly he gives a nod and motions to an empty spot by the fire. After a few moments he speaks back, his voice low and sounding reminiscent of a cross between a cello and bassoon which gives him a fairly unique but warm voice. "You are welcome." Giving his companions a slight wave, he continues. "We are nomads, so naturally we hunt. Food is necessary after all." He states purposely misinterpreting what the other is asking while looking pointedly at the stew that is bubbling and about ready to be served.

 

Wooden bowls are soon filled and passed around by one individual while another digs out some sweet potatoes that had been cooking near the coals. Silvius assists by pulling chunks off of a hard piece of bread to hand around to go help scoop up the stew with. Soon everyone had a bowl of rabbit stew, a baked sweet potato, and a hunk of bread. The unicorns dig in eagerly without much mind to the hot temperature of the stew.

 

There is enough stew for everyone to have seconds and even a little more. Once all the food is done, the two begin to clean up by scrubbing the bowls clean with sand and rinsing them in the rain. "The storm won't be finished until tomorrow at the earliest. When it clears we will be leaving to rejoin the rest of our tribe." He states simply and in a manner that clearly implies they will be taking their leave of each other at that time.

 

Silvius and the others have no interest in inviting the dragon to get any closer to them by asking questions that one might normally expect to be asked after being found in the middle of a crash site in the woods, alone and naked. They know the answers already for one, but they also don't want to encourage the other to become familiar with them and risk the other wanting to try and travel with them. At that point they will have no choice but knock the other unconscious and the herd will swiftly move on to another island in order to lose their unexpected guest.

 

Still, there is something about the dragon that tugs at the back of Silvius' mind even as he ignores it.

[Exellda]

Even though these people were kind enough to share their food with him he felt like he was getting the 'cold shoulder'. Gareth didn't press the matter, merely raised a brow momentarily as the 'leader' of the group spoke. The man was either an idiot or purposely misinterpreted what he said... And he was willing to bet on the latter. Again, Gareth didn't really question it, nor correct it, he just went along with it.

 

The dragon forced himself to sit up despite the shooting pain that shot up his back. The only giveaway to his pain was that is eyebrows furrowed and a frown formed on his face. That face didn't last long once the food came around. He allowed himself to relax a little and enjoy the 'nomads' food. All in all, it was a good meal, he even got seconds... Gareth had been hungry enough to not feel guilty about eating excess food. He uttered a thanks when everything was said and done. They were obviously not a talkative group...

 

Eating food wasn't the only thing had been doing. Gareth was looking around out of curiosity, at the cave, the rain outside, the fire... and the leader of the group... He felt oddly familiar... It took the entirety of his meal to figure it out. After they were eating he was quiet up until the moment he figured it out. "Ah, now I figured it out." He said while pointing at the leader of the group, "I saw you at the festival!" Ah, yes, that was it. That's why he looked familiar... It was hard to remember so many people... but he couldn't forget the man who nearly came near him in his dragon form... "For nomads, you guys sure do travel fast... Consider me impressed."

 

Of course he didn't expect the other male to speak out about it. In fact, Gareth was ready to hear him say that he wasn't there or that because there were so many people he did not see him or remember for that matter. It didn't matter what the other would say. In any event, Gareth was about to lay back down when he realized one more thing. He cursed under his breath. "...I don't suppose one of you guys could show me where you found me?" He glanced outside, " When it's not raining, that is... I guess when you leave in the morning, could you show me... I kind of... Dropped something."

[StainedCrimson]

Silvius tilts his head slightly to look at their guest, giving a slow blink. Well, that answers why he had that nagging sensation about the dragon. It was the same one that had been avoided by the people at the festival, but yet had ironically pushed him closer to the dragon who has now recognized him. "I was there alone and left early to meet with my people." He states simply. "And considering no one was paying particular attention to me, I find it interesting that you recall me as I hadn't thought anyone paid attention to anything except the dragons. Well.." Silvius drawls slightly "Unless the dragons pay that much attention I suppose."

 

His eyebrow raises issuing a small challenge of his own to see how the other will respond to being called out in return. At the next question, the unicorn rolls his shoulder in a shrug as he turns back to the fire. "We can point you in the direction to go, but cannot take you." The risk of someone looking for the dragon that fell is too great of a risk for them to go, and unless they have permission from his father none of them are able to go even if they felt so inclined. Silvius feels that the dragon should be grateful that the Stallion allowed them to retrieve him at all instead of leaving the area.

 

In fact, that is most likely what they will do the moment the dragon leaves. Silvius frowns slightly at the thought of the herd having to push themselves to leave again so quickly, but it was risky staying here for too much longer. Glancing at each other, the others soon gather up their items and begin making bed rolls. Silvius had already decided to take the first watch if the dragon had woken up, so the others are going to get sleep just outside the ring of light provided by the fire. Standing, he goes to add a few pieces of wood to the fire before sitting down and letting silence fall over them.

 

While he doesn't mind the quiet, the unicorn does miss the sounds provided by being with the herd. The sounds of others breathing, moving, and some talking or singing. Instead the only sounds are the soft quiet sounds of his fellow unicorns sleeping and the crackling of the fire. With a soft sigh he gives a longing glance to the cave entrance as if hoping the storm had magically stopped within the last few minutes.

[Exellda]

The dragon smiles but can't help himself. He figured out who the other male was. It was like they were playing a game, a mind game that the others around them hadn't a clue it was happening. Gareth hummed as if he was thinking and then finally said, "I guess you could say... I remember handsome men." And for the most part it was true, though Silvius was a handsome man, strikingly handsome... Other than that, Gareth neither confirms nor denies who- or what he is.

 

Everyone is headed to sleep by now and Gareth lays down as if to fall asleep himself. And when it seems like everyone is asleep, Gareth slowly sits up again. He yawns but otherwise doesn't show any signs of tiredness. He's looking over at Silvius now. "Hey..." He says softly so he's not disturbing anyone in their sleep. "I'm not much of a gambling man... But... I have a good hunch. Wanna hear it?" He decides to humor the other male.

 

"Hmmn, and maybe I could get your help with something?" He asks, shifting, wobbling out of the 'bed he was in. "Since you obviously know more than what you're leading on, I'll trust you with this task. So how about it?" Ah, yes, he hasn't even mentioned what he need help with. "I can't stay injured like this. I can heal a lot quicker with my magic but I've got to use some of that fire. So if you could... I need to to hold like... one of those logs to my back. Think of it like welding metal... only instead of metal, we're mending my skin. Sounds fun, huh? So help out here." He huffs, not exactly asking but requesting the help. "Unless you want me to roll around in you fire..." He adds, "Pretty please."

[StainedCrimson]

Silvius glances over at where their unexpected guest is laying down and lightly scoffs at the complement. "Thank you, I suppose." Although it worries him slightly that he is so memorable as all that. It may be that he will have to stay hidden for some time until memories of his looks fades and the hunters stop looking for him. When the other sits up and continues to talk he frowns slightly. A hunch? "A hunch you say and yet without saying it decide to ask for a favor." He tilts his head while keeping watch on the other out of the corner of his eye. "Perhaps if you completed what you started I'll help you 'mend your skin', though most would call putting a log that's on fire against their skin mutilation."

 

Shifting to face the other male, he leans back slightly. "Though I will admit that I've never seen someone rolling around in a fire pit. That might be interesting to see." He lightly comments while taking in the fact that the other has admitted to having magic. After a moment he glances at the fire then back. "Is it the size of the flame your magic needs that a whole log is on fire? I do not think any are particularly suitable if so." Most of what is in the fire has started to die down, so while the cave is still lit and warm, the fire is slowly turning into coals and embers instead of sticks and logs aflame.

 

Though there is a small pile of wood nearby, it would still take some time for anything sizable to catch fire. "If you need the size of a larger flame then it will take time for a log to catch fire, but if smaller will do there is still some larger sticks and such that could be lit more quickly." It is ultimately the other's call what to do and how to proceed. The unicorn isn't one to tell others how their needs are best met when it comes to different species and their magic.

[Exellda]

"Well I just wanted to see if you'd be interested in hearing my hunch before blurting that out." Gareth says with a soft chuckle. He feels no threat coming from the other male and so he's at ease, maybe more than he should be. "How about I tell you while you help me out? Hmmn?" He offers. The dragon has his ways of getting things. He was fairly certain that he could get the other to speak. The other man didn't even seem to bat an eye when he mentioned that he had magic, which leads Gareth to believe that magic is either a common occurrence for him or he does magic himself. Gareth is willing to bet that he does magic too. But what kind?

 

It was amusing to talk to him... Wait what was his name again? Did it even matter if it would they would only be together for a short while. Gareth thought so. He would ask soon enough. But first, he wanted to heal. "Hmmn... I mean a smaller stick would work, but it's not going to last..." He warns, "I'll burn through it very quickly with the magic. That's the only reason I was suggesting a log." He hums softly, heading for the edge of the cave so that way he's not near anyone. The sound of the rain is louder here, and it makes it harder to hear. "It's not the log that matters though, it's the strength of the fire... I figured one that was already lit would be easier to work with... But since most of them are embers by now... How about you just bring a fresh log?"

 

Gareth is entertained by the idea of mutilation because he's never been mutilated before. HThe magic he was about to perform would only heal him, not mutilate him... Though, it was close enough. "Call it what you will. I assure you that I'll be fine when everything is said and done." He says before sitting down. Gareth still didn't feel very well but he felt like his strength was good enough that he could heal himself. Dragons could heal fast if they were strong enough. Luckily for Gareth he had been training for quite a while now. While he did still feel feint, he felt like he could handle healing himself at least. Once he healed himself he was sure that he wouldn't feel feint anymore.

 

Gareth waves a hand for the handsome man to hurry on over. "It doesn't even have to be lit, I'll make it work, okay?" Finally, when the other male brought over a log, Gareth reached for it and took it into his own hands. Gareth licks his index finger and rubs the 'top' of the log. He looks at the other male a moment before grumbling and then- huffing out fire. The log lights like a torch. A brilliant green-blue flame engulfs the top of the log. "Careful, it's hot..." He says as he hands the 'torch' to the other male. There was much to be talked about and the rain would drown out whatever they said, in case someone might have been listening.

 

"Okay~ Now that I have a fire going, just... Kinda hover it over my wound. If you touch me don't worry about it. Just don't remove the flame until I'm closed up. Alright? Sounds easy enough?" Gareth says as he slowly pulls off the bandages that was on him. Gareth was fire resistant so he wouldn't be burned even if the other male tried to hurt him. "Now~ How about we chat a little bit?" He was a very straightforward guy. "So my hunch, which I have no evidence for by the way... I think you know more than you're letting on. That, and I also think you're something else. What, I am a little unsure... But you definitely seem like a certain... special magic type. Hmmn... Am I close?" Gareth ponders out loud regardless if the other male actually answers him. "You already know what I am. Don't lie. I can tell. But I am interested to know what you are that makes you very... I guess 'skittish' or 'wary'. I'm not fully buying all of your story, come on, give me a hint, please." He says, glancing over his shoulder to look at the other male. "My name is Gareth, just so you know... Mind telling me yours?"

[StainedCrimson]

Silvius gives a soft snort and rolls his eyes at the other continuing to prod him for help. Still, if nothing else then the chance to get the other recovered enough to shift and leave cannot be ignored. "Very well." Standing up he goes and picks out one of the larger logs from their stack while the other speaks to 'assure' him about how this will be healing and not mutilation. I kind of figured since he's a dragon, but guess it's good to know. He muses while going over to the silhouette of the dragon near the mouth of the cave.

 

When a green-blue flame lights the log, he raises an eyebrow. "Well now, aren't you full of surprises." As he takes the log another eye roll is done when warned about the lit log being hot. "Imagine that! Something on fire is hot! Who would have thought!" Silvilus drolls out in a sarcastic tone with a flat look, although the corner of his lips twitch slightly as he fights back a small smile.

 

Nodding at the instructions, the unicorn crouches down and holds the log so the flames are flickering near the other's back. At the other finally voicing his hunch, Silvius raises an eyebrow while looking at the back of the other's head. "Most things are magic, just some are closer to it than others. On that same note each type of magic is special in a way." The words are tossed back in a calm and almost amused tone. "As far as knowing what you are, it would be hard to not connect the dots when we watched a large dragon fall out of the sky and upon reaching the area finding you in the epicenter." The fact is pointed out calmly with a little more amusement.

 

As the other prods him further about his own herd though, the unicorn frowns and lightly prods the other in the back with the log. "That is a very rude way to thank those that have helped you. Being what you are, you more than anyone should understand the dangers posed to those viewed as different or outsiders. Gypsies and nomads are often ostracized or in danger from others due to their way of life." While not gypsies, the unicorns are definitely nomadic as they drift from place to place.

 

Despite the conversation having caused him to get slightly irritated, he can't help but watch curiously and a bit fascinated as the flames work to heal the damage on the dragon's back.

[Exellda]

"Hey, I appreciate your sarcasm-" Gareth is not actually sure how much the other male knows about the capabilities of fire... However, he does find Silvius' comments to be a treat. "But if you play with fire, you're gonna get burned." It's true that fire should never be played with. Even a dragon such as himself could get burned if he didn't know what he was doing. He too was growing a smirk on his face from the playful banter.

 

Slowly but surely he could feel his back healing. It was wonderful to be healed. Before this he had only practiced on small cuts... It was the first time he was healing something of this size. His best guess was that he was probably going to have a gnarly scar... He is listening while he is healing. Gareth huffs because this guy was just being very... He was avoiding answering him directly. He's really trying to sell him this gypsy nomad thing. But honestly, Gareth couldn't help that his hunch... Made him feel like Silvius was much more than that. Sure, he could be a gypsy or whatever but... What was that feeling..? "Okay, it was fairly easy to guess what I was." Gareth won't even deny what he is. He feels safe enough to admit it. Unfortunately, it seemed that Silvius had yet to feel the same way. Perhaps he should toss out some guesses..?

 

He feels the prod at his back when Silvius scolds him, Gareth doesn't flinch but a hiss escapes him because his skin wasn't fully healed yet.. Gareth can't help the way he feels. "Sorry if I am too blunt." Despite saying that, it is very clear that he is not sorry at all. "In a way, aren't a nomad too? Wondering to the different countries and such? I'd like to avoid trouble if I could as well." He hums. "That said, I of course don't want to burden the great nomadic gypsies whom have helped me make a speedy recovery. Would have been the end of me had I fallen into the wrong territory." Gareth will express gratitude where it's earned. "I am thankful that you have risked yourself to help me. I'm sure I could find a way to repay you." Normally he wouldn't have said that last part... But that feeling he had... it told him that they would definitely see each other again. It almost felt like the longer he was around Silvius... The more he just sensed something he couldn't explain right away... Other than to say it might feel like something his elders told him. Surely... that wasn't the case? Right..?

 

Everything else aside, Gareth wanted to figure out what Silvius was. What could he be that he couldn't say it? He had to be something or have some kind of magic power that, if said out loud might endanger him. Well, obviously he wasn't a dragon like he was. "I think I'll try to guess again, based on the hints you have given me." And the annoying hunch that refused to leave him. His curiosity was unwavering, even while his back almost literally sewing itself together. Gareth brought his left hand to his chin as he thought, thinking about all of the possibilities... given the information he had. And when he closed his eyes, for a moment completely still before his head snaps up. A vivid 'vision' came to him... But it wasn't really a vision. It was more like his dream that he has flashed before his thoughts. Amazingly, the thought, that dream... Yes... That would make sense. Gareth didn't think about the possibility that he could be wrong. He just blurted it out like an a-ha moment. "Unicorn."

[StainedCrimson]

Silvius snorts at the others comeback. "Sarcasm is an art and a very underappreciated one at that." He murmurs though eyes the dragon with a raised eyebrow. "And I would certainly hope that fire burns as otherwise cooking and mending dragons would be most difficult I imagine." His tone is dry and the eye roll can almost be heard, but the unicorn is enjoying the back and forth.

 

"If you were any more sincere with that apology I think the heavens themselves would fall." Silvius deadpans before huffing with a faint smile. When a more sincere expression of thanks is given, he rolls his shoulders before teasing the healing male. "Oooh? Do you mean to shower me in gold and jewels then? I may have to pass on that as it sounds most bothersome to try and lug such heavy and valuable items around." His amusement wavers however, when the other states he's going to guess again. Amusement wars with irritation and anger at the other refusing to drop the manner.

 

When the guess is blurted out, he stills for a moment and only manages his response due to a lifetime spent having to hide what he is. "A unicorn?" He exclaims before busting out laughing and shaking his head. "Perhaps you hit your head harder than we thought if you think I'm some creature from children's tales." Sighing in an amused and tolerating way he continues on. "Honestly, do I have a horn I'm not aware of? Or is there something else about me that seems 'unicorn-like'?" Silvius asks while outwardly seeming bemused and curious, and even if someone were to check his heartbeat would find it to be as steady and normal as could be.

 

It is only in his mind that he begins to prepare to send out a call to the others to potentially kill the being they had just saved. While not something he wants to do, and a part of him even recoils from the mere thought, he knows it may be necessary if the other persists. Leaning back, he looks over the healed area. "It seems like it's healed. How does it feel? If you need more fire then I'll have to get another log. Otherwise more sleep is about the only other thing you can do right now."

 

Once Gareth finally goes back to sleep, and is out for the night, Silvius goes back to his spot after tending to the fire. Come morning, only Silvius and Gareth in the cave with the other two nowhere to be seen.

[Exellda]

Gareth chuckles softly when Silvius mocks his apology. And no, he hadn't intended to give Silvius gold. More like assistance if needed. But if he had wanted gold, Gareth knew where to get some. Hearing his reply in regards to being a unicorn made him... satisfied. Because that's the first exaggerated reaction he has received so far from this guy. "Perhaps I did hit my head, huh?" He chuckles. "Hmmn, nothing really gives you away, I'd say..." He shrugs. "...I had a dream that I was carried by a unicorn... And so I used that as a guess. Make fun of me all you want, but I think it's an excellent guess." That, and he is pretty sure he is right, too. He laughs again, "I wish you had a horn. Then I could make a joke... Like, can I stroke it? Or, oh, nice rod..." The flirty jokes makes him laugh once more. "You're truly missing out."

 

Back to serious talk, Gareth shifts a little, testing his new skin out. "Hmmmn, feels fine. Bet I have a nasty scar though." Shifting, he lifts himself, wobbly at first, into a standing position. "Yeah. That should be fine, thank you." He doesn't seem to sense Silvius' inner turmoil. "I feel better..." He yawns. "But, rest would be good." He still has a long journey ahead of him. "Hmmn, I guess I'll stop bothering you for now and head to bed." He says, already headed for bed. "Make sure to rest as well." He says as he slowly, almost cautiously, lays down.

 

Come morning he awakes feeling rejuvenated from last nights' trials. He stirs awake, sitting up slowly, feeling a little cold. He blinks, glancing around and comes to the realization that... he and Silvius are the only ones here. His eyes land on Silvius, who is already awake. Seeing as the other two were gone, he didn't quite understand why Silvius stayed behind, unless he was left behind- which was unlikely. "Ah, good morning, savior... Where did your people go?" He asks in a somewhat tired voice. "Will they be back?" Is his next question. Gareth stretches and yawns. Then suddenly, a grin forms on his face. "Ooo, we have some alone time" He said with a wink. "If you wanted to have me alone, you could have asked, you know?" He says teasingly. "Are you going to make me breakfast? How nice of you."

[StainedCrimson]

After the others had left, Silvius had stoked up the fire to get the flames built back up and had made some light breakfast fare. By the time Gareth wakes up the unicorn had already finished his meal and cleaned up. Hearing the dragon move and then call out to him, the red-head raises an eyebrow while looking at him. "While I did assist from saving you from a slow and wet recovery, I am not sure that warrants the title 'savior'. As for the others, they had other duties deemed more important than babysitting a sleeping dragon." He deadpans.

 

At the next question he merely gives a rolling shrug. "No." Is all he says before rolling his eyes. "Are all dragons flirty and horny or have I just been blessed to meet the only one?" He teases back while standing up and patting his pants clean of dirt. "As for breakfast, it has already been made and eaten. Had a certain someone not been quite so lazy then they might have been able to enjoy it with me. As it stands said person will have to make do with cooking his own food." Silvius smirks.

 

In all honesty he had wanted to leave with the others and assist with the herd moving on, but that might have seemed too suspicious. Besides that his father had wanted him to scout for potential Hunters that might have seen the dragon crash or been to the site of the crash. That information is just as crucial and important as it would not only put the herd at risk, but the other being they had risked themselves to save.

 

Tilting his head, he glances over Gareth's figure. "You seem to be feeling better at any rate. Is there a time limit for how long you have before you need to return to your people? Or someone comes searching for you?" Both are reasonable questions and fit with the situation. After all, it's not as if Gareth can be expected to take care of the dragon for days or weeks.

[Exellda]

"I think I healed pretty quickly compared to most-" Gareth retorts in reply when Silvius says that his recovery was slow. His ability to heal gave him a new chance at life. It was lucky that he could heal so impossibly fast, otherwise he might have needed way more care. It would seem that despite Silvius 'complaining' about his teasing, the man still teased him back. And so, Gareth was well aware that the other didn't particularly hate his advancements or he would have told him to stop. "If you detest my flirtation, you can tell me to stop. I will if it bothers you so much..." He hums, a smile forming on his lips, "Though, it appears that you don't actually hate it, so I do see a reason to stop now."

 

In regards to the food, he is bummed because he was starving. "Wow, a host who eats without his guest. A guest who was critically injured at that. Talk about a quality host." He wasn't too bent out of shape about it, especially because he could now say, "That's alright, there's still a tasty looking treat in front of me." His eyes are obviously scanning over Silvius. "And no, my people are like anyone else, some flirt more than others, some don't. And no, I am not usually this flirty, but I like to tease, if the person allows it, and if I find them especially attractive. Do you not flirt with people who you find attractive?"

 

The dragon twists his torso, stretching and seeing just how well he is put together. "I do not have a time limit, really... I guess. We have a tradition in Sabbas where at a certain age dragons fly out and see the world. It's like a test of sorts to prove to the tribe and to yourself. Think of a mother bird tossing her babies out of the nest so they can learn how to fly- except we practice for a long time. It takes a lot of magic power to stay a dragon, flying to all of the continents and attending the festival while in that form." He looks at Silvius, somewhat happy that the mysterious man has some interest in him and his people.

 

"No one will come for me. If I would have died, that would have been fate. As the tradition goes, you travel, bring back goods from the foreign lands to prove you journeyed there, and then you go home, where a giant feast or a party awaits you. The travel takes about 2 weeks or so, depending on how good you are at flying, your magic ability- and well, whatever else you encounter or whatever factors in after leaving the festival." Gareth explains thoughtfully, seeing as the other probably wouldn't know this information otherwise and he isn't against sharing this information with someone he barely knew. It was strange, but he felt like he could trust Silvius... " Some dragons never return home... Some do. Those who don't either leave Sabbas permanently, got captured, or even died during their travels. Those who come back to Sabbas are celebrated, because you know- wow, you survived the journey, huzzah! From there, you can choose to leave when you please, or stay. Whichever you decide. I intend to return home eventually, take my time travelling because I have yet to see the wonders of the world... But I will return sometime, I hope. And from there..." Gareth drifts off, his gaze wondered since he began talking, and then they refocus on the other male. He shrugs, "Depending on what happens, I'll stay or leave, who knows? I'm not a fortune teller."

 

The dragon decides to get off the bed finally, his stomach growls. "Hmmn, I guess it's time for food now." Using up all that magic to get here, and then heal himself really took some magic power... He may be healed but he felt drained. Food was one of the fastest ways that he could regain that magic.

[StainedCrimson]

Silvius tilts his head and hums slightly while rolling his shoulders in a shrug. "It doesn't bother me overly much. Not enough to ask you to stop at any rate. Who wouldn't want their ego stroked by having a dragon flirt with them after all?" He smirks and tosses his head back with a slight grin before snorting and barely refraining from rolling his eyes. "Perhaps a host that doesn't wish to starve himself while waiting for his lazy guest to wake in order to eat." He states dryly before waving at the food stuffs neatly arranged near the fire.

 

"Besides, I figured you'd be well enough to cook your own." When the other looks him over in such a blatant manner, the unicorns finally rolls his eyes with a faint smirk. "I would be flattered and tempted if I couldn't hear your stomach from all the way over here." He teases before listening to the other's question. "Hmm, with how much my people move around there usually isn't much time to really spend on flirting. Not outside of the group at any rate, and within there are certain rules so as to prevent inbreeding." Not to say he hasn't. He can be quite flirtatious should he find someone he wants to have some quick and dirty fun with, or if time is particularly tight then he'll be more direct in his advances.

 

Watching the dragon stretch, which is a bit distracting the unicorn silently admits to himself, he listens to the explanation of the dragon's ways and gives a small nod. "That is not too different from how we are I suppose. Though we'll usually try to see if we can quietly and quickly anyone who gets caught. The jails in most towns are very easy to slip in and out of." He gives a flash of a smile and a brief chuckle. Internally, however, his thoughts are a bit darker as he thinks of the few of his herd that have been caught by hunters. Those are much more dangerous to risk trying to save, and it's a rare thing they attempt.

 

As he learns more about the dragon culture, he feels some appeal and jealousy. It sounds so freeing being able to come and go as you please, and not having others try to smother or control your every move. Granted, he also knows that due to their very nature unicorns have to be more elusive and their size makes them far easier than a dragon to capture, both in human and non-human form.

 

Although, I wonder if it would be possible to...

 

Before the idea can take root, he shakes his head to dislodge it. Best to not fall into that temptation. "Well, being able to take your time over the next two weeks or so should give you plenty of time to recover and explore. Not sure what all you have to gather to show you've been, but if you lost anything when struck out of the sky then there's time to get more to replace them as well." Having finished packing his own things he waves a hand at the blanket that Gareth had used. "Whether or not it counts you're welcome to keep the blanket. Though it's only helpful when you're not being a dragon." He grins while turning to re-stoke the fire and add some wood so the other can make his meal.

 

As the other cooks and eats, the unicorn sits and watches him quietly before shifting. "I'll be leaving once you finish eating and the fire is taken care of. Unless you plan on staying here." Should the other want to stay longer to rest or just leave later, Silvius plans on leaving soon to begin looking to see if any Hunters had either seen the crash and are nearby looking for the dragon, or if someone has been near the crash site. Though if someone other than a Hunter they may just think it was a lightning strike or somesuch and not think much on it. Regardless, he will be staking out the site for a few days and tracking anyone that comes across it. After that he'll leave to rejoin his herd and share anything that he finds with his father.

[Exellda]

"Ouch. Lazy guest? You think someone who's injured is lazy? How mean." Gareth liked the playful banter. "What if I am not a good cook? You're gonna leave me to starve?" Now he was being a little dramatic but he's already hunching over where the food is. As usual, Gareth is particularly close to the fire. "Oh... Right. I suppose everyone outside of Sabbas wears clothes, don't they? Kind of restraining, don't you think?" He shrugs. Some people wear clothes, but if you were going to do some travelling as a dragon, there was no sense on having clothes on if they were only going to tear. What a waste. "Ah, well, I suppose I'll take the blanket, but for it to be any use to me, I'll have to find a way of strapping or tying it onto my dragon form while I travel. Anything I wear normally does not... well, obviously you can figure it out."

 

Gareth tends to the meal that he has to make himself. By no means is he a chef, but he obviously knows enough to take care of himself. He looks at the other before eating, practically shoving his face full, appearing as if he was starving. Luckily for him, he remembered to breathe. Whether it was to rebuild his strength, replenish his magic or because he was starving no one could say in that moment, however it was clear that Gareth had quite the appetite. Perhaps if he could, he might have eaten more. Though the sad reality was that there was a limited stock of food here. He slows, done eating, and pauses for a moment. "Well, if I could, there was one thing I wanted to get... If it was possible. The rest of the stuff is replaceable."

 

Now that he is done eating however, the dragon lingers instead of moving away. He did the exact opposite, moving closer to the other male, on hands and knees while approaching him. He comes to a stop once he feels like he is close enough, yet far enough to not breach his personal space should he not want him any closer. "Awe, you're leaving me so soon? But I haven't even had a chance to show you my thanks..." It would seem Gareth was reviving the earlier topic that they were discussing before his stomach had interrupted. Gareth felt that he never had such attraction to someone before, it was exciting to be even this close to him. The more he was around the stranger, the more he wanted to touch him, wanted to talk more, wanted to... Gareth was bold enough, but he didn't want to cross a line with this guy. It was strange of him to be this bold. Nonetheless, he felt that he couldn't help it. He saw Silvius, now he can't get the man out of his mind. There was just something about him... and Gareth felt like he was less than a foot away from finding out.

 

"Now that I've eaten, you shouldn't have anything to fear... I promise I won't bite..." Gareth grins, "Too hard."

[StainedCrimson]

The unicorn blinks slowly when the other mentions wanting to try and retrieve something, right before crawling towards him and stopping just shy of getting too close. As the dragon slinks towards him, Silvius raises an eyebrow as the topic from earlier makes a reappearance. "Show thanks? I thought I was 'mean' and making you 'starve' as it were. Not sure I want to be thanked in that case." He retorts a bit dryly though with a faint smirk even as he eyes the other with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

 

When the other brings up biting, he scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Just remember dragon, you're not the only one that can bite and I make no promises about how hard I'll bite back." Refocusing on the other he frowns slightly as his brows furrow. "Still, I do find it a bit odd as to how... persistent you are. I've done little to encourage your advances for one thing, but I also don't think I'm quite so appealing as to entice someone this much." Not to say that Silvius doesn't think he's good looking. On the contrary he knows he's handsome in either form he takes, however, outside of those seeking him for less than savory purposes he also knows that being rebuffed or shown lukewarm interest doesn't lead to someone continuously trying for this long.

 

"Somehow I'm thinking this isn't quite normal for you either. Perhaps you need more sleep to recover from hitting your head so hard." Though he says this Silvius can't deny that the thought of having some with the dragon holds some appeal. After all, he's not allowed to sleep with the females in his herd as that's the Stallion's right and while he may have a quick romp with one of the males it's more likely that he will wait until they meet with another herd or pass close to a human settlement to relieve some steam. As tempting as the offer is though, he's not about to have sex with someone who is not in their right mind.

 

Depending on how Gareth responds, the unicorn resolves himself to either consider accepting the dragon's "thanks" or will leave to go back to the crash site to see what there is to find.

[Exellda]

Whether the other was actually mean or not Gareth paid no mind to. He was more intrigued by the man in front of him the more they talked. It did strike a cord with him when Silvius pointed out that he was not acting how he usually did, as if the guy knew him well already. Strange. It almost felt like he knew the other man... Maybe that's why it was so easy to tease him... Yeah... Maybe that was why he was so carefree to the point of shameful flirtation. Whatever it was, Gareth just felt instantly drawn to this man. The closer he got to him, the more he just wanted to- To... He was just within his gasps.

 

"Feel free to bite me all you want, I assure you I can handle it." Gareth says right back with a small chuckle. "I guess I don't know how to explain it. And no, my head is fine- I just-" Gareth actually looks at Silvius seriously this time. "I feel drawn to you in a manner that I can't exactly explain right now. Maybe it is your good looks but-" He shrugs, "Seeing that I might not have the chance again, since you're a... nomad, and I am a dragon, perhaps, just this once, it might be fruitful to strike the iron while it's hot, don't you think?"

 

There's no telling if the other will actually go along with it but, again, Gareth cannot help it. "Of course by no means do you have to say yes... However, I haven't exactly heard words of resistance... So... If you're curious as much as I am..." Gareth starts to lean in a little closer. "I am more than happy to give a little 'thanks'." He places a hand on Silvius' thigh to support himself. Gareth is just rolling with his gut feeling. He just wanted to be near the man... Maybe even a little closer than that. "Please accept-" Those last words are uttered softly as he kisses Silvius on the lips.

 

If there was a way to describe what sensation he felt after he kissed him he would try. But honestly a whirlwind of emotions and feelings hit him all at once. It was as if he was missing a part of himself for a long time and now he was whole again- Wait a second- The realization hits him as he breaks the kiss. His eyes go wide for a moment, seeming searching for something on Silvius' face but finding no answer. He might just keel over from a heart attack, his heart was pounding hard. All that blood warmed up his body, his cheeks go red suddenly. For a moment he didn't know what to say, and just looked at him in silence. After that moment passes Gareth just leans in again with another kiss, this time shifting his whole body to sit on Silvius' lap, his hands slide up Silvius' chest stopping just at his shoulders.

[StainedCrimson]

As the other talks and moves closer, Silvius feels an eyebrow rising as the other gets ever closer before finally daring to put a hand on him. He wonders why he is allowing this overly familiar contact and encroachment into his space, not too mention on his person, but a small part whispers to him. Why not see how far the other is willing to go to "show his thanks" as the dragon ha put it. After all, just as they have both pointed out, due to their differences, it is unlikely they'll cross paths again so what harm is there in indulging this one time?

 

When the other actually kisses him, a faint smirk appears at the almost timid gesture as compared to all the flirting. Though it had crossed his mind several times to do away with the overly familiar dragon by using his horn to impale the other, particularly once the dragon had touched him, but that small whisper had stilled him. The sight of the dragon suddenly appearing stunned and turning red made the restraint worth it.

 

"Well, I'm not quite sure that was worth all the build up... However, if that is your thanks then I suppose I shall accept it. Though this makes it worth more." He grins while tracing one of Gareth's flushed cheeks with the tips of his fingers. Shifting the unicorn looks at the other expectantly. "Anything else dragon, or shall we make our way to where you made such a grand appearance?" Silvius playfully taunts the other male while waiting to see what else the dragon may, or may not, do.

 

Without having noticed it, the unicorn's disregard and borderline hostility towards outsiders has dwindled and the small part of him that was interested and drawn to Gareth has grown more pronounced. Not by much, not yet, but enough to where Silvius is slightly more willing and interested in returning the interest.

[Exellda]

While the other's hands were on his cheeks Gareth was pouting a little bit, even a little smoke come out of his nostrils. When the other asks if there was 'anything else' Gareth almost wanted to scream. "H-How can you be so calm?" His brows furrowed, eyes searching the other for answers. He had barely seen a reaction from the other and was worried that something was off.

 

From a young age Gareth was taught that everyone had a soulmate. For some people in his village, it was a matter of meeting others around Sabbas. Gareth had met literally everyone at least once in his country and had never felt this way until now. The elders warned him, told him that because his soulmate didn't exist in Sabbas, they would more than likely be on one of the other continents...

 

 

The odds that he would find the person before he died was slim, as there many people in the world. To think... that his fall... The person who saved him... of all people... There was no shaking it.

 

Silvius was his soulmate...

 

For a moment Gareth just stared at Silvius and wondered what the other man was thinking. He either was very accepting of what just happened or... "Wait... Wait... wait... wait!" No, no... don't let it be that way- "I'm just surprised that your so calm even though... we... are soulmates..." Unless... Gareth frowned, "Unless you're one of those types who don't believe in that sort of thing? Or are people over here not taught that sort of thing?" His hands go to his face as he huffs and growls lowly. "That would be my luck, wouldn't it?"

 

By now Gareth has crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for a reply. He was unsure of what the other might think of his sudden declaration... or if he would accept it or not. If he did, what then? And if he didn't... what should he do?