Of Knights and Dragon: Chapter Three

Of Knights and Dragons
Klaxie as the King, Synn, and Myra
Hotshot as Gaviel
Chris as Kodlak
BloodyKharma as Tanis

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak Drakali/ Forest

Giving his blade one last swing to clean the blood off of it, his body jerked a little, the pain coming from that mere, shallow cut, right below his lowest rib on the left side of his body, and due to reflex, he clapped his left hand over it. While he did grimace a little, it didn't wipe the slight grin on his face.

"Ah... Bloody bastard, got lucky." He harrumphed a little, shaking his head, and turned to his fellow man. "While I agree that getting out of this forest as soon as we can... Would be good."

He was as tense as his fellow man, for he had no reason not to trust the senses of this man.

"I would prefer that we take a moment. I'll need to treat this injury, lest it fester and weaken me. True enough, these bandits were worth little, had little fight to them. Hell, the bravest one out of them did this. And... Give some credit to the yearling dragon and your partner, that wolf. They did their parts as well."

He gestured to the wound he'd received, and then to the corpses that looked like they had been killed by beasts of the forest rather than men. In a fashion, he supposed it was true. It was no man that killed those bandits, after all.

The bastard, he had been a big bugger. Almost as tall as himself, but definitely just as bulky and strong, if the bandit's eased use of the greatswords was any evidence. A glance at the camp... Hmm... The bandits had been sleeping, or waking up when they arrived and wreaked chaos in the camp.

"Check if they have any leftover spirits, pieces of cloth, and wrappings... If not, well, we'll have to burn this wound shut, won't we?"

Glancing at the bandit who had stood on guard by the exit of the tunnel, he felt his lips tug up into a small smirk. In the end, that bandit had drowned in his own blood. A broadheaded arrow through your windpipe tends to do that, after all.

Checking his surroundings, if only to assure himself that they were out of immediate danger, he went to search through a bag, hoping to find pieces of linen cloth, and perhaps some wrappings that he could use to bandage himself up...

"Aye, you're right. I can't take the dragon with me to Harlen... I suppose all that's there to be done is to wait and see if we can find her parents, though more likely than not, her parents will find us... I'm not about to just abandon her."

Shooting a glance towards the dragon, he let out a sigh. "I know full well the feeling of being separated from your parents. It is terrifying. As someone who has gone through that... 'And more'" That last bit was left unsaid, a heavy thought in his mind.

"I can't just abandon her. It may be selfish, but... It wouldn't feel right if I did that." He shook his head and kept searching through the bag, finding some wrappings but no pieces of cloth, or any bottles full of sweet ale.

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Myra / Forest

She heard her human friend talking and turned her head from sniffing the human corpses... She had been debating on whether or not they were edible, but upon looking at Kodlak, she decided it wouldn't be good for her friend to see her eating his own kind.

Instead, she turned and pranced towards him, feeling proud of the few bandits she had killed. She listened to Kodlak as he finished talking...

"Check if they have any leftover... If not, well, have to burn this wound shut..."

She sniffed her human now, feeling saddened that she hadn't protected him well enough. She had seen the larger human attack him during the fray, but she hadn't imagined that Kodlak couldn't handle the other human. Kodlak was her friend, and she couldn't imagine him losing to a smelly bandit, so she ignored their battle and instead tackled another fleeing bandit before he made it out of the cave...

Myra felt her tongue tickle as she sniffed his side. She knew how to treat wounds... Every time a claw or a tooth from her younger brothers got under her scales and tore her skin, or she theirs, you licked it. Myra wondered if it were the same for humans... She decided it wasn't since their necks were too short to reach their bellies. She thought about it for a moment and decided to do it for him...

',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Gaviel/Cave-Forest

She could only sympathize with the emotions that Synn was currently feeling, she'd never had any children of her own and had no real plans for any such sort of commitment, certainly not in a world as dangerous as this one. Not for her kind anyways, not right now, Instead she tried to stay upbeat as they moved through the small passage of the cave. When they came to the absolute blockage of the passage she could only watch as the Woman moved forwards and melted the rock with her magic. Not the way Gaviel would have done it personally but it was a method.

She gave the woman a nod as she now moved forwards towards the small pin prick of light coming from the end of the cave. It was when the sounds of an engagement ahead stirred her on. It wasn't the conflict itself....it was the roaring, and if Gaviel could hear it, Synn could hear it, and it was very obvious that it was exactly the sort of thing to throw the mother into a tizzy. She grit her teeth and with a nod to Synn shot off at her dedicated sprint again weapon already drawn.

Wither the woman would, or even could keep up in the state she was in wasn't Gaviel's concern. She knew that Synn would catch up eventually and may the gods shine hope on any individual unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of what would come if her child was hurt. Instead she would work as the moving force to make absolute certain that the yearling wasn't harmed. Bursting out of the cave like a smoking bullet she came to a skidding stop out in the forest with a body at her feet and a glint in her eye that spelled death for anyone stupid enough to challenge her.

Shock came to her face however when she saw the yearling standing before her doing perfectly fine and the two men either cleaning their blades or in one's case their wounds and sighed deeply speaking quickly.

"Good, the yearling isn't hurt. That is what matters. I'd suggest you two be on your way then, I can handle her from here on out." this didn't even sound like a suggestion any longer it was a forward demand. She was indeed grateful she didn't have to spill more blood then she had to, but it would have come naturally to her to do so if these two had harmed the yearling. However it seemed that they were indeed capable of at least owning to their word. Looking over at Myra specifically she spoke into her mind.

'Found mother. She's in the cave. I suggest you be ready to apologize.'

',',',',',',',',',',',','

Myra / Forest

As soon as Gaviel came from the cave entrance her tongue froze and she rethought cleaning her friends wound for him... She drew it back in her mouth and hung her head at the mention of her mother...

Myra sat and looked at Kodlak to see what he would do, even though she knew it probably wasn't up to him to decide what he did next... Or maybe it was... Humans were strange to Myra, and she hadn't figured them out yet... Some humans could tell thousands of other humans what to do, and some couldn't control what they had for breakfast. They were a strange people...

Either way, Myra had to deal with Gaviel, and her mother now, and she hoped that burden wasn't something her human friend had to share too...

',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak Drakali/ Forest

Looking at the woman as she first spoke, he shook his head slightly and continued looking through the bag, eventually discarding it to the side and standing up from his crouch, placing the wrappings on a wooden plate that was on the ground. After that, he sheathed his greatsword onto his back. With decisive moves, he went to another bag, or rather, a rucksack. Looking through it, he found sheets of fine quality linen, and raised an eyebrow. So, these bandits had struck a travelling merchant. Searching further, he found a bottle of... Something.

Pulling the sheets and the bottle out, he looked at the bottle with evaluating eyes. After a moment, he gave a nod, to himself for the most part. A good choice in spirits, the merchant had. This'd be some strong stuff. Carrying the sheet and the bottle back to the wrappings, he took his sheathed greatsword and quiver of arrows from his back, sat down and started cutting large enough pieces of cloth from the sheet that he'd be able to patch it up well enough. As he cut the pieces, that was when he spoke

"That is all well and good, but you'll have to give me a moment, so I can treat the wound I was given." He had tried to keep his tone even, to keep the irk he felt from it. He wasn't sure if he did a good enough job of it, though. Something about this woman irked him. Perhaps it was her attitude?

With a deep breath, he cleared his mind of such unimportant matters. He needed to be focused, right now.

With some effort, he was able to get the armor protecting his upper torso off, revealing several old and a couple of newer scars. Decorating his back were both larger and smaller scars. Long and short blades had struck him there in several occasions. On his front, he had scars from both combat and hunting trips that ended awry. The most prominent of these being the scars left by the claws of a bear. Hell, even his right shoulder gave testament to the difficulty he'd experienced, fighting a bear, as the scar from a bite was there.

With practiced ease, he poured some of the drink in the bottle on two pieces of cloth, layering these pieces over the wound he had. Hissing a little at the burn of the alcohol, he set about wrapping the two pieces to himself first. Once he was sure they wouldn't fall off, he layered a few more pieces over those, and once again, wrapped the pieces to himself using the wrappings he had found earlier. He made sure to make it stringent. It had been awkward, but it would do. After all, the armor would hold them in place.

Thus, he set about putting his upper body armor on...


',',',',',',',',',',',','

Tanis/Forest

He felt nothing but dread as a familiar voice could be heard from somewhere behind him, as he reluctantly turned and caught sight of Gaviel standing there he made sure to plaster a smile across his face before speaking.

"Well look who it is, glad to see that your still among the land of the living." he said rather forcefully, trying his best to not let his annoyance show. "And by the looks of it you dispatched the kings' men with ease, I'm honestly surprised that you managed to catch up with us so quickly, and completely unscathed I might add." truthfully he wasn't surprised at all, she was a pureblooded elf after all, and he knew all to well that beneath that somewhat beautiful exterior a creature that know mortal man could ever hope to best lay in wait. Luckily he wasn't just a man, plus he had magic on his side, although he wasn't stupid enough to think that even these things would tip the odds in his favor if he ever had to face a fully grown dragon, he knew that the best option if such a situation were to ever occur would be to flee even if his pride dictated otherwise.

"I mean no disrespect when I ask this, but who have you brought with you? I can definitely sense the presence of someone else nearby." his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he continued speaking. "That wouldn't happen to be the yearlings mother would it? That seems to be the only logical explanation, I highly doubt that you'd bring anyone else with you to find the young dragon." his hands rested on the hilt of his swords, where they had been a moment before she came, the thought never occurred to him that she might find this threatening so he made no move to lower them.


',',',',',',',',',','

Synn / Forest

She half jogged, half ran through the cave before she came to the entrance... The light was m ore than her Elven eyes could handle, and she slowed to a walk as she exited the darkness. She could feel the presence of the group as she walked forwards... They were in front of her, watching her, but she ignored them all... She had eyes only for her daughter who sat, scales shining in the sunlight... She was fine...

Synn felt a huge weight lift off her chest, and she smiled with tears in her eyes as Myra stood and made her way to her mother.

She embraced her daughter with her loving arms, wrapping them around the young dragons neck, much like you would hug a horses neck...

Synn connected to her daughter mentally, and Myra quickly relayed the events of her adventure to her mother as they stood together. Synn felt all of her anger and malice melt away, replaced by happiness and love for her daughter...

The world disappeared in a fog as she listened to and watched her daughters story... She watched the human, Kodlak, meet her daughter...

She watched the Elf, Gaviel, watch over her daughter devotedly, and she laughed when the lost half elf stumbled upon the group accidentally...

Synn squeezed her daughters neck in approval as she tore through her opponents in the cave with skillful ease...

When the story was over, Synn looked up at the small group and nodded, in a half bow...

"Thank you, for watching over my daughter... "

Synn looked at Kodlak in particular, remembering his wound from the fight her daughter showed her. She felt some thanks were in order for his service, and Myra obviously felt attached to the human... Synn decided,without hesitation, that this would be the first of many ways she would repay the debt she owed him.

"Come to me... " she said to Kodlak, as she extended her hand towards him.

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak Drakali/ Forest

Having finished putting on his armor and gotten up, he scooped up his quiver of arrows, fastening it onto his back, soon followed by the greatsword. Watching with a small smile on his face as an obvious mother and daughter enjoyed their reunion, he prepared himself for departure, briefly listing his supplies within his mind, and what he'd need to stock up on. Still, he didn't take his eyes off of the two. It was a slightly odd sight to him, seeing a dragon in the form of a human... No, an elf, but he shrugged it off with disturbing ease. He'd had enough shocks to be numbed for a while.

He did not expect her to bow, at all. Regardless, she did, even if it was only a half-bow, and when she spoke, announcing her gratitude, he nodded his head. With that, he was about to turn and walk away, but her voice stopped him. Turning to look at her once more, he realized that the words "Come to me..." Had been for him. The extended hand was a fair clue to that, as well. With a short, calming breath, he turned to her and approached, stopping three feet away.

Deciding to be more tactful, he gave a half-bow, though it was a bit strained as his wound did not like that, and straightened up, standing at his full height of 6,7 feet. It was odd for him to have look down at the woman who truly was the mother of this yearling, but once again, he shook it off.

"How can I help?" The words passed his lips before he could stop to really think. He shook his head a bit, and offered "My apologies. I hope my straightforward manners do not offend."

',',',',',',',',',',',','

Synn / Foresst

She ignored his words as he approached and bowed, painfully... She knew what he meant, and she knew it was probably a shock to him, going through what most humans would consider a fantastic adventure. Instead of replying, Synn placed her hand on his chest and felt his presence with her mind as well as her touch... She opened herself up to the magic once more, and allowed the unwieldy power to be directed with her will.

Synn felt the energy immediately direct towards his wound, speeding up the healing process, though draining Kodlak of the energy and protein needed to do so, which was relatively insignificant. She felt the power also extend throughout his body, almost as an afterthought as her mind directed the energy, and healed old wounds, straightened crooked bones that healed wrong, and repaired tissue, and destroyed harmful infection throughout his body... Synn felt the power drain her a little, as something unexpected began to happen, and the magic started drifting, coming alive with a will of its own...

Synn tried to tug it back on course but it kept drifting... She tried once more to redirect its purpose, but it wasn't under her control anymore, and it began to seep into Kodlak in a way Synn hadn't intended. She felt it wiggle into his mind and take root, flipping an invisible switch that hadn't been there before...

As soon as it began though, it was over, and she had full control once more, though the event left her speechless as she had never lost control like that, in all her years...

Synn ended the contact and drew back her hand as she finished... She reached out with her mind and immediately told Gaviel and Myra what had happened...

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak Drakali/ Forest

Having made no effort to stop her, he merely raised a brow and waited, wondering what she was going to do. It was then he felt... Something wash over him, as well as the disappearance of pain...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stumbling back, mind reeling from the sensations as they almost overloaded his senses, he fell on one knee. Taking a moment to compose himself, he focused himself into figuring out what happened. Having never felt the touch of magic, this had been a very new, terrifying and yet welcome all the same, experience. Something felt different... It seemed like the world was more... Open? He could feel... Something. He wasn't quite sure what, but...

Taking a glance at every one that was present, he committed to memory the places they were currently standing in. Closing his eyes, he focused on the nagging feeling in the back of his mind, bringing it to the surface. Allowing his gut feeling to guide him, he felt as though a pulse of something just expanded from his body, gliding past the others...

His eyes snapped open, wide as they could be. So that was what he felt? The presence of others? He could swear that he felt their presence. He knew they were there, of course, but now, it felt a lot more like he could feel them there... Hm? Closing his eyes once more, he concentrated on yet another feeling, it felt like it was tugging him, demanding he focus on it.

He felt himself become connected to something. Diving a bit deeper into the feeling, the effort actually showing on his face through the scrunched eyes and furrowed brows, he could now make out a few sounds, a voice. They sounded like words, but he couldn't understand. He couldn't quite hear... They were too quiet, too muffled... Oddly enough, the voice sounded like the elf, the mother of the yearling...

Distancing himself, he felt the connection cut off, and it brought with it a headache to him, while making him feel light-headed as well. Nothing about this made sense anymore.

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak Drakali

Standing up, he shook his head in an effort to clear it, and glanced at everyone in the clearing. With a deep breath, he turned to look straight at Synn, brows furrowed in confusion. "Excuse me but... What exactly happened?" He spoke out, confusion evident in his voice. He didn't believe that what happened was what she meant to do, as he did recall that the energy he felt coursing through himself felt like it was being tugged a few times, as though it had gone off-course, somehow.

Now that he had the chance to focus, he took note of the pain, or rather, the complete lack of it. Even old aches were gone... What had she done, he pondered, to heal him so thoroughly. He knew none who were capable of such extensive healing, and he had met some wise men and women, gifted with a talent for healing in the past... But then again, they hadn't used magic.

For a moment, he pondered on the idea of learning magic... While he had certainly made it well enough thus far without, it could be a great boon were he to learn how to heal himself and others to such an extent... Then again, perhaps he would not be able to learn how to heal someone so thoroughly with magic. He did believe that he could learn how to heal with magic, but perhaps not to the same extent as she had.

',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Synn

She felt she owed a bit of an explanation to the human, even though she didn't quite know the extent of the changes done to him. She imagined she had healed most of the natural ailments of his physical body, but it seemed the magic itself had gone even further, fixing, or maybe enhancing something in his mind... Synn couldn't tell without investigating further, but it seemed like possibly he could communicate via the telepathy dragons used...

"I believe... " she paused to collect her thoughts before she had an idea...

"You can hear our thoughts... " she finished, hoping she wasn't wrong lest she look like a complete fool.

',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak Drakali

Opening his mind to the new sensations, that pull-like feeling was gone, but there was a slight, distinct tingle in the back of his mind. Not paying it any mind at first, he tried to figure out what else may be different. Brought back to reality as she spoke, that was when the tingle grew stronger, and oddly enough, it happened after she had paused.

Blinking a few times as he heard her voice within his mind, he gave a slow nod. "So it seems..." He muttered, cupping his chin with a hand. Magic, alluring, yet terrifying, for it to have power like this...

Taking a deep breath to calm down and relax, he tried to get used to the feeling of sensing others, and even the ability to hear a dragon's thoughts, though that last part was certainly unnerving... For him at least. He wasn't so sure of the others, when he thought about it.

The other male of the group had the skills to tame and command beasts...

The woman, clad in black and mystery, had seemed oddly at ease around the yearling, as well as very insistent on protecting her. Add onto that, she seemed to be very much at ease, even with the mother of the yearling around... He supposed she may be yet another dragon in the shape of a human... Or an elf. He couldn't tell for sure.

Letting out a sigh, he shook his head to clear it of the unimportant details, and once more looked to the dragoness before him, another question on his lips, before he stored it away for later, and just shrugged a shoulder, folding his arms over his chest afterwards and settled for simply looking at her, intently enough to let her know she had his undivided attention, but not too intense as to seem angered.

He wasn't, really. He wasn't sure what he felt, but anger wasn't in there. Confusion, awe, shock... Aye, those'd be the three most prominent emotions in the storm that was his mind.

',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Synn

"It seems like you've been given the ability to converse with dragons, and other living beings, with your mind... It's a gift dragons use primarily to communicate ideas, feelings, and images or memories to each other, rather than language." She paused, wondering how much information she should divulge to the human...

'Well... HE HAS the ability now... Might as well... '

"If you have any more questions, Myra can answer them for you... I do not think this was an accident... I think you two were meant to meet." Synn paused to think, feeling her moment of clairvoyance was passing...

"I don't think anything happens by chance, least of all events surrounding magic... You two were meant to be together, and I will teach you everything you need to know about your new ability... And perhaps a little about Dragons... " she hoped she wasn't making a big mistake, but she felt like this was the right thing to do, given his knowledge and the depth of his immersion into the plot surrounding recent events... At the very least, it would be a good idea to keep him around, rather than let him be caught by the kings men, should they discover his involvement.

Synn imagined the dragons reaction to a human being allowed into their mountainous domain deep within the Spine... She almost snickered as she thought about the little yearlings practicing hunting on him... One pounce and the horse sized yearling would crush a grown human... Armored or not...

No, she wouldn't let that happen... At least as long as he was on their side, and didn't pose a risk.

',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Gaviel

There was a quiet moment of contemplation as the interaction between Synn and the Human occurred. It honestly was no longer her issue, she had wanted to protect the yearling and what happened after that was of little concern to her. But it was the touch of Synn upon the man's flesh that sent her into a bit of a fit she could feel the flow of magic happen and the outcome did not seem to sit well with her at all. They spoke more and she could feel his mental presence open up and she grit her teeth and drew a barrier up around her own mind as well as she could.

All was fine until Synn made the rather...ridiculous offer to train the man in the way of magic and the 'woman in black' could no longer remain silent about such a thing.

"Sister." she said with a rather harsh tone in her voice for someone who was an ally as she eyed the human. "He is not dragon kind, you may have unlocked his mind. But that does not mean you should teach him our ways, or allow him into our culture! He is a human and he is not to be trusted. No matter how close he has become with the yearling."

A snarl enveloped her voice clearly voicing her utter distrust of the man. Of course she knew her place here. Synn, by definition was the "Alpha" here she had quite a few years and a brood as well. Making her not only the elder but someone that Gaviel wouldn't cross, at least not without plenty of planning before hand. For now she was simply voicing her concerns.

She then shot a message to her via her protected mind in order to sure up her thoughts on the matter.

'He is not trustworthy, fate be dammed, humans can never. never. be trusted. Even if he is trusted what's to say the kings men do not find him or his skill then hunt your kin down. I don't agree with this Sister but this is your choice to make.'

',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Synn

She turned to the younger Elf and felt the weight of her decision... She knew humans were fragile, and weak willed... She knew they were responsible for the near extinction of Elf kind only a few decades ago. She knew they were driven by fear, resentment, and greed... But they were also driven by love, and commitment to a higher cause. Maybe... Just maybe... This one is here to help us fight back against the ones who would hunt us... "

"He can be our eyes and ears where we cannot go... He can help us turn the tides of this war, and begin a peace between humans and dragons... The last thing we need is an all out war against the king to throw kindling on the hatred that's already burning in their hearts... Maybe this is our chance to stop it... Or at least to fight it..."

Synn made sure Kodlak heard every word. This was his future if he decided to accept it... If he didn't... Well Synn would make sure he never made it close enough to the capitol to tell of the Elves and Dragons secret...

',',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak Drakali

Closing his eyes in contemplation, he recalled his father's words from when he first started learning how to use bows... 'A tool is only as useful as the user's knowledge regarding the tool. It doesn't matter if you have a bow if you don't know how to use it. It doesn't matter if you have a sword if you don't know how to use it... So first, you learn how to use them.' Couldn't the same logic be applied here? This ability, it IS useful by itself, but... With him, the ability would be next to useless if he didnt't even know how to use it.

He hesitated, for a good reason. Could he really accept this? Truly, it did indeed seem like the Fates had a hand in this. It wasn't just chance, it couldn't be, it didn't make sense for it to be just chance. No, there was something more to this. So... Could he accept this? Walk down a path he never imagined for himself, blindly trust in the winds of the world as he did so?

Brought back to reality as Synn spoke once more, his eyes widened a fraction at what she was saying...

He waited until she finished speaking before voicing his concern... "Help turn the tides of war? Bring peace between the dragons and my kind?" He sounded the very meaning of hesitation, doubt... "I'm just one man, milady... How could I possibly have such strength? Even with your teachings..." He shook his head. He had no doubt that this dragoness was powerful and knowledgeable. He had no doubt that he could learn many things from her... But he couldn't imagine himself being that capable, of his actions having such power as to influence a war, even with her teachings and lessons on life... He was just ONE meager man...

A sigh escaped his lips. The task was daunting. Heavy. For a moment, it seemed to him that taking up that responsibility would crush him. Still... It was true. He was probably the only human with a chance of doing it. Because of this new ability, the potential it granted...

Then there was the King... The King was going mad, of that he had little doubt. He had heard the rumors. The King was seeking to eradicate dragons from this plane of existence, drawing upon great amounts of resources... Coin, food, metal, wood, men... Did the King know how many there are? Kodlak doubted that. Did the King know where they reside? No, surely not...

The dragons had every advantage as things stood...

He closed his eyes once more, contemplating on that. At this rate, all-out war between the King and the dragons... It'd be devastating. More so for the humans than the dragons, Kodlak admitted, but he had no doubt that even the dragons might suffer some losses.

He paid little attention to the fact that the war would be terrifying, devastating, outright hellish, and instead, thought of the families living in this dangerous land. They would suffer the most... In his mind, an image flashed, of families torn apart by war, sons and fathers slain on battlefields while mothers and daughters lie in wait, praying to all the Gods for safety and an end to the war...

He gritted his teeth...

Opening his eyes, his face set in stone, eyes hard as his resolve was made. "You believe I might be able to help turn the tides of war? To bring peace?..."

He paused for a moment, laying a brutal beatdown on all the second thoughts regarding the matter. "I don't know how much good I would be, chasing after such goals... "

"But if you would have me, I'm with you."

',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Tanis

He was currently leaning against a tree, the initial surprise of Synn's appearance finally beginning to fade as he watched the exchange between her and Kodlak. As much as he hated to admit it, he was actually happy that mother and daughter had been reunited, and he secretly felt good about the role he had played in the events that had occurred recently no matter how small his involvement might have been. He had his back against the tree with his arms crossed over his chest, a rather bored expression plastered across his face. Truth be told he was intrigued by everything that was going on, as Synn made contact with the human he could sense that something had changed within the man, he had started to reach out with his mind in order to see if he could make contact with him but decided against it, he had no idea if Kodlak would even be able to realize what was going on or how it would affect him. What really surprised him was the fact that Synn seemed to have so much faith in the man, the fact that he was a mere human didn't seem to register in her mind, she was willing to risk everything just because this man saved her precious daughter?

"Fates my ass." he scoffed under his breath, speaking so low that he was certain no one else would hear.

"Only fools believe in such things." closing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts, he would open them a moment later, his eyes lingering on the small group standing in front of him before he slowly began to turn and began walking in the other direction. Its not like I'm needed here, what's done is done, I suppose its about time I left. As much as he tried to make himself believe that he didn't care about what would become of Synn, Gaviel, and especially Kodlak he couldn't help but look over his shoulder as he started to leave; a small sigh escaping his lips before he turned and slowly continued on his way.


',',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak Drakali

Looking down as he brought his hands in front of him, palms splayed open, he stared at his hands. 'For a decade, I've shed blood. Blood for coin... For the sake of living. And there were even times, when I did it just because I could... I always had to, whenever I did it, but...' He recalled each face, and especially each bandit he had outright executed. They'd begged for mercy, that they'd never do it again, but it hadn't mattered. He slew them... He slew them, and he didn't care.

The blood never washes off. It'll always be there. When he was younger, he used to flinch at it. After the battles, the killing, the sight of his hands, he had felt sick, his hands shaking, though less after each fight. After each time that his hands were covered in fresh blood...

Now... He was used to it. He was used to the weight of being a killer. That's how he'd made his living, after all. A killer for hire, a fighter to be paid for protecting something, or someone...

Still... A new feeling had started emerging. As he further embraced the thought of using his hands for a purpose greater than himself... He felt whole, though he knew not if he would be useful, or useless. Clenching his hands into fists, he dropped them at his sides, and took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did. The first FRESH one, for what felt like ages since the last time he took such a breath. Aye, a flame had been lit in him, a new spark of life emerging in his eyes the moment he opened them. This was a cause worth fighting, killing, and dying for, he believed, for what nobler a cause than seeking peace is there?

Turning his gaze to the side, he took note of Tanis' starting steps for departure.

"Leaving already, friend?" He hollered after the man. While perhaps his friend didn't believe in the winds of the world, Kodlak had always believed that such things could happen. When, where and how, you'd never know, but fate did guide the world at times. Had they met out of some simple coincidence? He didn't believe it was coincidence alone, though chance may very well have played a large hand in this.

',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Tanis

He stopped in his tracks as he heard the word 'friend', standing completely still for a moment before slowly turning around and making his way over to where Kodlak stood.

"Fate is merely the war cry of those to scared too think for themselves." he said as he approached the man, grinning from ear to ear as he placed a firm hand on the shoulder of his right arm. "...at least that's what I'd like to believe."

his expression became thoughtful as he locked eyes with Kodlak, wondering just what was running through this mans mind to make him think he could make a difference in the war that was sure to come.

"I find your determination to right the wrongs set in place by our forefathers to be quite admirable, and I'd gladly follow you into battle...but I must admit that the reason I've decided to accompany you on this quest aren't nearly as noble as yours."

A small puff of air blew from his nostrils as his he became more serious. "Theirs someone that I'd like to see again, and I believe that travelling with all of you will be the fastest way to do so... And without me around you'll probably do something foolish and wind up getting yourself killed." he added that last part as an afterthought, a smile brightening his features once more as he turned to face Synn.

"That is if you'll have me m'lady." he said softly, avoiding making eye contact with her as he bowed deeply, remaining with his face facing the earth until she said he could rise.


',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Synn

She bowed slightly in return, feeling the time was right to begin the journey home... She smiled slightly, having collected more tag alongs than she originally intended to fly home, but seeing the events unroll before her as they had, led her to believe there was more than her will at work here, and fate wouldn't leave her any choice... Whether she wanted to expand her list of companions or not...

She spoke not a word as she planned out the flight home, rehearsed her introduction to the dragons back at the Cove, and began her transformation all at once... All three tasks were done in mere seconds, as blinding white light filled the woods.

"Climb aboard... " she paused for a moment, then added, "friend... "

Synn felt more at home now, in her dragon form, than her Elven form... Nearly thirty years of flying, climbing, walking, and living beneath brilliant white scales had broken old habits and whittled away at her own consciousness. She imagined that the wild dragons had once been intelligent too, but they had fallen, and forgotten who they were... But not Synn...

She knelt down with her right front leg, allowing an easier climb for the human, despite the lovely, even, grooves her scales provided as hand holds... She felt her own little Myra pounce on her rear leg and climb up, very unceremoniously... Synn felt her heart swell with love despite it, though, and a soft purr rumbled though her chest as she looked back at the little white dragon...

',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak

Shielding his eyes with his right forearm when the light blinded him, his eyes widened and his breathing stopped, for a moment, as he stood in awe of the sight before him. It was the same dragon he had seen only a day before, the same one that came close to catching him during a hunt. And now... He stood before her.

Yet, he didn't feel fear. He found that confusing, but shook it off."Climb aboard, friend..." Echoed in his mind, and for a brief moment, he felt unsure about whether to do so, or not... He squashed that hesitation an instant after. Looking up at the dragoness, watching as she knelt on a leg, he slightly shook his head, somewhat stunned by what he was about to do, he sent a brief comment to her with his mind.

"The tales poets could write of this..." He could feel, actually feel, his own bemusement as well as the humor his own quip had him feeling, slip through the connection.

He wasn't sure if his quip offended the dragoness before him... He doubted it, however. The dragon before him was wiser than him, after all, so surely she could see where he was coming from with that comment of his. It was in his nature by now. Had been for a while. His way of shaking off confusion, shock and surprise.

Watching for a moment as her daughter climbed up, he then looked to his friend, the beast-taming male... Still bowing. Shaking his head a little, he commented on it "I think you can get up, now." And with that, he returned his gaze to the dragons, mother and daughter, standing before him... Well, sort of.

Taking a deep breath, he took a stride and then another, until he reached her. Placing a palm against the scales, he took note of the texture. It wasn't as rough as he thought it would've been, but there was some roughness to it. Even so, it felt smooth. Tougher than any steel he knew of, of that he was sure. With another breath, he tossed away whatever hesitation he still felt, and guided his hands to the grooves, and using all the experience he had from climbing some of the steeper, rougher and rockier hills in his life, he climbed onto Synn's back.

',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Gaviel

She grit her teeth hearing all of this and remained silent and somber for the time being resting against a tree with her arms crossed looking over at the individuals in question especially as soon as Synn turned into her larger form a scowl forming across the woman's face and a sigh escaping her lips. She was not prophetic but if she had to assume, this was a tragedy waiting to happen. "hope" was not something she held in any regard, no, she prided herself on results, and despite how much faith Synn had put in the man he had shown literally nothing more than a twinge of proficiency in magic to prove anything to her. Her elder she may be, but family life had made her soft, these people were not to be trusted and not to be allowed near a den let alone given skills that they did not even know about.

She remained there still looking as annoyed as ever and continued to glare at the man and half elf in question breathing out softly as she stretched a moment and moved forwards. Speaking directly into the mind of Synn. 'While I appreciate your feelings of confidence sister, I would not keep this person any closer then this. I choose not to travel with you out of fear that only tragedy will be derived of what comes. That. And I do not work well with others not frequently anyways. If you request my presence I will come, but otherwise I will return to actually doing something as opposed to training this...man.' She said the bitterness in her mind just as easy to sift through as one would imagine.

She honestly would go along but, something about all of this just did not sit well with her, instinct dictating she just move away and move along. If this 'sister' wished to die then so be it. Traveling with humans any longer than was necessary or really any collaboration with them that wasn't a result of very careful planning and contingencies. Was a disaster just waiting to happen and Gaviel knew that somewhere along the line. This would come back to bite all of them. Hence the distance she wished to maintain with the human and the oh so 'hopeful' dragon mother.


',',',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Tanis

As he rose to a standing position he didn't even flinch as Synn transformed, this wasn't the first time he had seen this type of transformation occur and he knew that it definitely wouldn't be the last. His eyes flickered over to Gaviel for a moment, the scowl on her face bringing a smile to his, he could somewhat understand how she felt about humans but being part human as well he felt slightly offended by her distrust of an entire race of people.

"Get off your high horse, elves are no better then the humans you so blatantly despise. Do you know the only thing that truly sets our races apart?' he asked Gaviel, pausing for a second to see how she would respond.

',',',',',',',',',',','

Gaviel

Her eyes shot over to him and she closed the distance even faster Her hand wrapping around his neck rather tightly as she lifted him up and brought him close. Eye level with her clenching on his throat a little "too" hard Free hand resting confidently on the hilt of a blade.

"The difference between our races. Half blood. Is that one is far to ambitious for it's own sake and fearful of what they do not understand. On top of their genocidal tendencies for things that go bump in the night. Though I doubt at your age you could possibly even know what it's like to be on the receiving end. Your a half elf. at least you Look. Like them."

She threw him back against the ground and spat at his feet.

"The only thing trust worthy about a human, is how easy they are to kill." she said snarling out the final word to clearly state her intentions. Distrustful she may have been but rooted her position was and it was going to take a hell of a lot more then some bravado to convince her otherwise.

',',',',',',',',',',','

Synn

She watched the exchange silently, though with muscled tensed and ready to pounce if things escalated further... Though, the half elf seemed to be looking for a fight, and it wasn't Synns place to deny him one, even though it would mean the useless waste of a potential ally... Synn sighed to herself and mentally linked with her daughter, who was watching intently from the back of her mother...

"These are the ones you've been traveling with these past few days?"

She snorted in disgust... Though it was more like a disdainful growl, in her dragon form...

"You would have been better off with just the temperamental Gaviel" she said, concluding her thoughts to her daughter, happy to have the connection back again...

',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak

Keeping half an eye on the squabble going on down below, he let out a sigh. His years at hunting had left his ears somewhat sharper, and thus, he managed to pick up most of what was being said. Climbing down partway, he dropped down the last six feet, landing into a crouch with one hand on a knee. Standing up, he took a few strides towards the duo that were arguing.

"Aye." He spoke out, keeping his voice balanced, nodding in acceptance.

"We humans are frail. Weak. We will die easily. Cut off our heads, run us through with a spear, land an arrow through our hearts, we will most certainly die... We do indeed fear what we do not understand. Even now, I am terrified. I do not understand what is going on. Only a part of it has been made clear... That I've been granted an ability... A gift, and perhaps a curse for the responsibility... The burden, that may come with it, should I live long enough to have such things be placed on my shoulders. This ability... I've done nothing to earn it. I do not deserve it... Yet I have been granted something no human should have. Why?... I'll never know, I guess... But, if I were to be taught, to be given guidance, perhaps I could better understand..."

Another sigh escaped his lips as he nodded again.

"There is indeed a lust, a hunger for something greater in us... More power, more land, more resources... We are... Rotten creatures, no doubt." He shrugged, incapable of doing anything to change this fact, as he was.

"However... We DO have better qualities as well. We love our families, the same as you. We do our best to raise our children well, to become the people they can be, and no parent I know of would allow their children to die, if they could stop it..."

Thinking back to his own father, a rueful smile made its way onto his face "... And we are persistent in doing so."

Pausing here to take a breath, he shot a meaningful glance to the dragons, mother and child behind him. "And some of us at least try to do right by others...'Mostly the peasants, though... And even then, not all of them.' Few and far between can be trusted, these days..."

For a moment, he paused, he himself trying to understand where he was trying to go with this... Once more, an image flashed in his mind. One of burning villages, of people, be they children, elderly, adults or young men, lying in the streets, while others cry out for their loved ones. Their parents, sisters, brothers, or lovers... This time, him gritting his teeth was fully visible, the muscles in his jaw set so. Thus he spoke out once more, his voice strong "I can not understand what you must've seen in your life. I can not even imagine... And perhaps, we humans are far beyond redemption... But I dare hope that we are not too far gone. Thanks to you..." He turned to gaze at Synn, eyes hard with resolve "A flame has been lit in my heart. A hope lives, of days better than now. Of the day when people no longer need to fear the darkness, of PEACE, between you, and I... Your kind, and mine... But we will never reach those days... If no one is there to light the path. I dare not claim that I would do so... Before today, I hadn't even thought of such things. Before today... I'd never have imagined if something such as that could be brought about."

Whirling around, he settled his unwavering gaze upon Gaviel, staring her straight in the eyes should she look upon him.

"There are things we do not understand... We will be afraid... And we will continue to do so if no one is there to help us understand." He paused once more, glancing at the ground as he pondered... "Nothing will change. Nothing will change, if nothing is done." Bringing his gaze to meet her's once more, he took a breath.

"I can not change what may happen. Not alone. I can see, though it is only a glimpse, how I might be of aid in bringing an end to the upcoming war, but I can not do so alone. I will need guidance, I will need help, if I am to be of any use."

Shifting his gaze from Gaviel to Synn, and back, he spoke once more after pausing to decide what he wanted to say next. "The people follow the King. They follow the King, because they fear him. They fear his wrath, his punishment. The King is going mad, as he seeks to bring about... I suppose you could call it the second Purge. He gathers men, gathers steel, resources. So the rumors say, and evidently, they are true, if this talk of war is any implication." Shaking his head, he snorted in contempt.

"I can not say for certain, how peace could be brought to this land... How I might help." He paused yet again, mouth dry and throat a bit hoarse. He was not used to talking at such lengths.

"It is a great deal that I would ask of you, then... Something that I have no right to ask for, in any way, and yet dare to do so, if only because I dare to follow this possibly forlorn hope in my heart. I would ask of you... To help us understand. Help us see another path. I ask for your help, your guidance and knowledge."

"I'll not blame you if instead, you decided that we shall pay the price for the wrongdoings of our ancestors..." Falling silent for a bit, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath... "I will merely pray, that when the blood of children who have had nothing to do with what happened in the past runs on the streets, in the alleys, inside buildings lit aflame... Their deaths have been quick and as painless as could be."

',',',',',',',',',',','

Tanis

He was back on his feet in seconds, one hand around his neck as he gasped for air the other taking hold of the hilt of his sword as he began to draw it from its sheathe. Damn, she's faster then I thought she'd be. She's...she's on a whole nother level! He glared over at her from where he stood, placing his free hand on the hilt of his other sword as he began to draw that one as well. He gritted his teeth in anger, the trees would begin to sway as the wind began to blow overhead with abnormal intensity, hundreds of leaves floated through the air and just as he nearly had both of his swords drawn Kodlak stepped forward and began speaking. As the man began to speak the roaring winds would begin to gradually abate, and so would Tanis's anger, he now only looked at Gaviel with nothing but pity in his eyes.

"Don't waste your words on her, just like all elves she'll be forever set in her ways." he slid the twin swords back into their sheathes, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath for a moment as he tried to calm himself further. "I may be young, but I know our history. I guess she forgets that in its infancy the elven race wasn't that much different than humans. Although we matured with time, and I believe that's all humanity needs, instead of judging and condemning them for their past sins we should be helping to mold and shape them and maybe just maybe they will grow and come to their senses even faster then we did. Going to war with them certainly wouldn't help them progress at all."

"Look at you...so righteous yet so easily angered, so easily led to violence, your the biggest hypocrite standing here right now." he scoffed, looking her dead in the eyes with no fear in his own.

',',',',',',',',',',',','

Gaviel

She watched him nearly draw his swords her disposition no worse for wear as she watched him attempt to take the 'moral high ground' with the rather shallow and poor attempt to accuse her of hypocrisy. Her hand resting inches from the hilt of a blade on her side. She seemed unwavering in her stance even as the man raised his voice. She couldn't lie, he had a point, and granted she wasn't here to start a fight but the fact she'd been insulted, not only her race but her word in general. It had her stewing underneath but she needed to prove him wrong, not give him the reaction he so desired. Taking a soft breath she raised one hand and pointed at the man in question, the very same who'd turned his voice to both of them and replied in kind.

"You there, Kodlak, you must forgive me for my earlier misgivings. Any... man, worth spouting off to two rather old souls in his presence deserves at least my respect. I am not so unforgiving to man as I make myself seem to be. Halfblood. You would do well to try and learn, as opposed to spouting off about the difference in race. There are to many to count to simply be discounted by 'our history' a history you may know of Child but one you have absolutely no inkling of experience." Her temperament finally starting to show through that steely and cold gaze of hers.

She gave a deep breath before glaring both of them down however and speaking once more. "But bear this in mind, the both of you. Ideals. Those are peaceful. History. Is violent, brutal, and unforgiving. It is because of this that there is a never ending madness to you humans that irks me to no end. While it is true that we elves started the same...we quickly became a commune, but you humans, you thirst for far more then you have and you always have. It is not something that can simply be taught. It is at your very core, greed, lust, want, wanton destruction. Somewhere in those minds of yours lies the utter need for...more."

She lightened her gaze a little more and let out a rather audible sigh this time around. "That is why Humanity won't ever change, because you cannot simply accept what you already have. What few of you that exist that come to this realization are ostracized by your race. King, Tyranny, it makes no difference. A new one will usurp him and the means that were taught to him will no doubt be utilized for the next generation and the next until there is a breaking point where in humanity no longer can sustain it's greed." speaking from the heart now about her predictions of the future and her philosophy on it all.

"I did not ask for war, I do not wish for war, I would fight to stop a war and I would not dare raise my blade if it wasn't forced upon myself nor my kind. Humans started this conflict and if they wish to see an end to it, then by all means let them bring their steel. I have only ever wished for a peaceful life in forests such as these. But such a life has eluded me because of the greed of man. And for this, I will never, trust, a single human being on first sight." she said finally finishing and allowing her words to sink in as she uncrossed her arms and instead looked over to synn and gave her a nod letting the woman know she would come along before turning back to the other two men.

"Now. Before I skewer you I'd suggest be be on our way and let our ideals not cloud what needs to be done. Or am I being to "hot headed" for you. Or high and mighty? goodness forbid I say anything more to validate your racist claims." she said rather sharply as she moved over to Synn and bowing softly, a sign that she was about to climb aboard before doing just that and taking a rather quizzical look back at the half blood before shooting him one more comment. "Before you let any more cow shit spill out of your mouth keep in mind that if you play with fire, its best not to do it with a dragon. Boy."

',',',',',',',',',',',',','

Kodlak

Raising an eyebrow, he shrugged and nodded his acceptance of her words. "This, I had an inkling of experience of." Pausing here, a humorless smile lit his face this time.

"In the end, I am the same way... If I had to name the thing I desire for the most..." Once more, he paused, pondering on how to best phrase it... "It would be... To find a place to belong." Following her with his gaze as she climbed onto Synn's back, he turned to face them, hands loosely folded over his chest.

"How exactly do you know my name? I do not recall introducing myself... Ah." Snapping his fingers, an embarrassed grin spread on his face as he scratched the bridge of his nose with a single index finger.

"How rude of me. I do apologize. Name's Kodlak Drakali." Bowing his head, as well as leaning his upper torso into a half-bow, a fist over his heart, he held his bow for about two seconds before straightening up. "Might I know your names?"

If his father were here right now... The man would surely smack him over the head with a fist... Or half a dozen. One of the first things the man had taught him was that manners made all the difference. Old friends, you needn't worry so much about manners with, but when trying to make friends with new people... Well, that was another story.

He glanced towards the sky, pondering for a moment, trying to imagine, to see where his life would go from here. All of this still seemed so unreal... Why him? Out of all the people in this land, why him? Would he ever find out?... Probably not. With a shrug, he approached Synn once more, climbing up onto her back once again.

',',',',',',',',',',','

Synn

She growled, ignoring the chatter in favor of a mental link with her daughter who seemed enraptured by the talk of history and racism, death, dishonesty, and tyranny... She asked her mother many questions over the next few minutes, none of which Synn had planned on explaining until Myra was much older... God forbid she had to answer the "birds and the bees" question today. Blood would be shed...

She crouched and eyed the halfblood as she waited for him to either decide whether or not to join them, or gather up the courage to climb onto a dragons back... Either way, he needed to choose. She wouldn't blame Tanis for choosing to stay behind, whether it be out of fear for his life, or for his ears, from Gaviels speeches...

Synn knew that most of what Gaviel said was true... But words never did seem to solve anything. Most of what mattered was fact, and that could be conveyed through different means. Synn would gladly reach out and share those facts with Kodlak, now that he could respond in kind to her mental invasion... But she wasn't sure it was a good time for a history lesson...

She decided to tune out the bickering and focus instead on communicating with her daughter...

',',',',',',',',',',',','

Tanis

He opened his mouth to say more but quickly decided against doing so, deciding to keep the rest of his thoughts to himself so they could finally be on their way, he had already set his mind on accompanying them no matter how much he disliked some of his current companions he knew that he'd be stuck with them for quite a while longer.

"This day just keeps getting better and better." He grumbled softly, as he walked the short distance to where Synn stood he was just about to take hold of one of the fairly large dragons scales and hoist himself onto its back when suddenly s whimper could be heard from directly behind him. He closed his eyes, a long sigh escaping his lips as he reluctantly turned to where the sound had come from, opening his eyes to see the wolf from earlier standing a couple dozen feet away.

"Give me a moment please." He said as he walked over and knelt in front of the wolf.

"This is where we part ways friend." He placed a hand on the wolfs head, pulling the wolf in close until they were both looking each other eye to eye.

"Now don't you dare give me that look, you were doing just fine long before I came along, and I know you'll be just fine long after I'm gone. I'm sure our paths will cross again someday, and when they do you can be damn sure that I'll have that beef jerky that I owe ya."

He chuckled loudly as he rose to his feet and walked back over to Synn, quickly climbing onto the dragons back just behind...Gaviel.

',',',',',',',',',',','

Synn listened quietly to the exchange, pleased at the friendship between elf and nature.

"Perhaps there is hope for this one... " she thought aloud as she launched herself into the clear afternoon sky... The companions collected on her back, like little hatchlings being taken back home.

',',',',',',','

End of Chapter Three