Of Knights and Dragon: Chapter Two

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

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Gaviel/Forest, Campsite

She turned her gaze at the young ling at the growl of her's and simply narrowed her eyes and a small smile crept on her face. A clear, a very KNOWING, smirk spreading across her lips as she looked at the dragon. Seeing that the little one was tense it only took him a moment and one very strong thought sent directly at Myra through Her own mind. 'Calm, yourself.' And that's all it took, the young one would have been able to put one and one together after that point. If it wasn't already clear what Gaviel's intentions were by now to the young dragon she wouldn't further explain herself. She then turned her attention back to man in question as he prattled on. She let out a soft breath like one of some slight irritation but most certainly not at the dragon.

Seeing the man's rather saccharine disposition towards death she decided it was rather proper to lighten up as well. At least he knew well of the scenario he was facing and that at least gave her enough to permit him to live. He didn't seem the sort to extort anyone and especially not a dragon, which gave her some hope in the type of person he was. She nodded softly.

"Call it an interesting following, a hobby, And the fact you decided not to attack is again, likely the reason you still draw breath. I will say however, you missed quite the showing, I was traveling the road the previous night and was about to come onto a caravan. The moment I arrived however a fine creature, much like the one you've made acquaintance with, only....a substantially larger variant. Struck from the skies and decimated the entire thing within a matter of minutes. If I had to make an assumption, i'd say that the dragon was 'searching' for something."

Her punctuation on searching directed through her mind to the young dragon as well.

"You traveling far then?" she said noting the fact that the distance had to be great if it would take five days travel. "Well, I would suggest that you go by, I can't stop that one there from following you, but I can say that any action seen with her like this would most certainly be punishable by execution on the spot. As for the king's men, it depends." she said with a rather meek looking shrug.

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Myra / Forest

She jumped up as she heard the words come across, clearly as her mothers words... She didn't expect that from the human... Elf... Myra didn't know who this one was, in particular, but she was sure her mother would. Her mother had been one of the few Elves that were brought together and saved... All the elves that were left knew each other. But, most had spread out, and flown far and wide, leaving for the far corners of the Island...

Regardless of who this woman was, Myra felt a little uneasy still... She didn't know this Elf, and she didn't know her intentions, though she now understood why she was angry before...

Myra listened and understood most of what was said... She felt afraid at the mention of what her mother had done while searching for her the night before. She had never seen her mother angry before... It was hard to imagine her loving mother angry, but it was a frightening prospect nonetheless...

Myra tentatively brushed consciousness with the other dragon once more... "Where is mother?"

Myra felt the womans mind, and it was strong, but it didn't feel as immense as her mothers overbearing presence usually did... And because of the unfamiliarity, Myra was only barely able to make the contact, and voice her question... Myra was young, and she wasn't as skilled as most older dragons...

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Kodlak Drakali/ Campsite

Raising an eyebrow at the dragon's action, he wondered what could cause such a reaction. As though his companion had been spooked by something. He had noted that the stranger had a smirk on her face... Clearly, he was missing something here. In the end, he shook his head and scooped up some of the food he'd made, filling his bowl with the meat, potatoes, and sliced carrots. It wasn't like he could do anything about it, right now.

"Aye... That must be the parent of this young one, and I am traveling a rather fair distance. The nearest town is about a hundred, maybe a hundred and a half miles that way." He gestured to between North-West and West.

He gave a nod, eating his meal in a calm and casual fashion. Once he finished his meal, however, he got up from the fur rug and stretched his back a little. "If you feel hungry, feel free to help yourself. Won't have much of a taste to it, but it isn't too bad." He nodded towards the cast iron pot hanging above the flickering fire, and started to roll up the fur rug.

It was time he started packing, anyway. Being out in the wilds is nice, but there's no smithy to be found. Perhaps in a small, unimportant hamlet of a village, one might find a smithy... Still, he needed to reach Harlen. From what he'd heard, he may find a well paying job there...

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Gaviel/Forest, Campsite

She took a rather observant look at the man as he started to pack away his things and instead turned the majority of her attention to the Yearling resting across from her. Having only given a barely cursory nod to the man her attention now drawn to the rather curious little one. Speaking strictly through her mind this time and making sure to make it simple she attempted communication. 'Do not know, she seems worried, why run?' she asked simply...one of the fewer things she didn't particularly like about talking to newborns. There comprehension of basic words were...limited but present. Judging by this ones curiosity and comprehension she was able to pick up that her mother had been trying to teach her. Certainly an admirable feat.

She looked over at the dragon and sort of cocked her head to the side wondering just why she had left her nesting behind and decided to further inquire to the man speaking while still gazing at the dragon.

"Tell me friend, how did you stumble across this one? It must be quite the harrowing tale indeed?" she said still smiling softly and staring into the other dragon past her eyes, as if looking inside of her for something before retracting her gaze and looking over at the human food.

She wasn't hungry and despite the smell she had really no interest in the food he had prepared as for her mission, it was clear now to her what needed to be done. The man would most certainly be dead if one of the two issues he faced was not addressed. In her eyes, he only had one. She would be bringing this young ling back to it's mother one way or the other. It was one of her kind and should danger befall one so young simply due to curiosity...she would blame herself endlessly. Aside from that, a nagging curiosity was echoing in her mind...she wondered who the mother was indeed. Gaviel had only caught glances of the figure from before and that was in poor lighting....and she was busy taking care of stragglers. She could only wonder just who's child she was trying to protect.

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Myra / Forest

'Do not know, she seems worried, why run?' she asked simply...

Myra immediately felt bad, but she knew she wasn't running from her mother... She hadn't expected to be gone so long. In fact, she had left the nest rock for almost a week before... She didn't' dare venture too far, but she was gone a fairly long time while her mother slept. This time was different... Her mother had woken too early, and she had been caught. Well.. At least not yet...

"Not running... " Myra managed to force out... "Lost... " she finished, before her contact broke and she was left with only a sensory and emotional connection... She tried to speak again, but the woman was so unfamiliar and strange, and Myra was simply not used to communicating with words...

Myra flashed an image she knew all too well, and showed the woman her mothers face... The image was from Myras perspective, looking up at the immense size of her mother... She felt the heat of her breath blowing like the wind from the ocean waves, and the rumbling purr, resonating and vibrating the very floor of the cliffs she lay on...

Myra cut off the image and replaced it with a view of the nest rock from one of the thin spires that rose above it... I was one of the highest peaks in the Spine, and commanded a respectable view in almost any direction... She made sure she included the forest, which they were in, at the base of the mountain...

Myra cut the images off once more as the woman began to speak...

"Tell me friend...?"

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Kodlak/ Forest, campsite

Being on the last steps of packing his rucksack, he turned his gaze to the stranger, a laugh escaping his lips.

"Harrowing, indeed. I was hunting yesterday evening. Found a white-tailed stag, and managed to get it with an arrow. I'm just about to reach the deer when this huge, brown-furred bear comes at me from the side. Made a dash down the rest of the hill, and to a clearing. I manage to cross the clearing and reach the treeline on the other side."

Thinking about it now, he was honestly surprised he was still breathing. The bear, he may have been able to deal with, or at least get away from... "Turning around to see how far the bear was, I barely had the time to grasp the hilt of my blade when something large and white, pure as snow, crashed down right on top of the bear."

Letting out a sigh, he scratched the back of his head. "It was a dragon, at least as tall as a building. It didn't seem interested in me, or it didn't notice me. I don't know... That dragon definitely noticed the bear, though. I think it may also have taken the deer I slew..." Here, his eyes widened.

"Crud... The deer. It still had the arrow I fired jutting from it." He sighed. Of all the mistakes he could do. No doubt, this dragon the stranger mentioned, the one that decimated a caravan... If it is the parent of the yearling, then the dragon probably thinks humans may have captured its child. If this is the very same dragon he saw yesterday, the one he believes may have taken the prize of his hunt yesterday evening...

"Well, if the dragon didn't know about humans being in this area, it definitely does now... Thanks to me." Here, he massaged his neck, brows knit together in a frown. He didn't much care about the caravan's destruction.

Such things are common. The chances of a caravan being raided and burned on the road, among the wilderness, are high.

"It probably doesn't matter whether it had the arrow or not, though. The dragon would've figured it out..." Another sigh escaped his lips. "Most likely, the dragon believes its child was captured by humans..." Here, he looked straight at the yearling.

Going back to packing his rucksack, he looked to the campfire and decided to leave the food there. The cast iron pot was on its last legs, anyway.

"So... Any ideas as to how this yearling could find its parents? Or, how its parents could find it?" He paused in his packing for only a moment, so he could glance at the sky. It was still morning, but the sun was visible.

"Shouldn't be too hard for the parents to spot it, considering the color of her scales... I imagine letting out a roar, or a breath of fire to the sky, should do?"

He stood up and lifted his rucksack to rest on one shoulder by its strap, bow in hand. This way, it'd be quick to drop the sack and bow, and draw the greatsword out, should it come down to that. All that was left was rolling up the deer hide, and tying it to his rucksack.

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Gaviel/Forest, Campsite

Within moments she found that her attention became fragmented between quite a few things, one was rather jeering. The yearling having shown her the images of precisely what she was looking for she merely chuckled and looked over at it with a soft sigh. 'Understandable, Synn is mother?, no wonder.' She knew the dragon...of course she did, the woman was her elder by some years. Truth be told however, she'd never spoken any words with the woman and Gaviel wasn't even sure that the woman would notice her at first glance. She was only a forgettable little girl when they had likely seen each other and her memory was fuzzy of back then to begin with. Instead she simply returned to the question of helping the little one and gave her a kind and reassuring feeling coming from her. 'I will keep you safe, take you home, if what want.' She said with a soft nod to the dragon.

Of course her attention wouldn't have been fragmented if she wasn't being accosted by other sounds. Primarily the noise of that man...it only slightly covered the noise coming from within the forest itself. She could sense something there but it wasn't even worth investigating as soon as the presence disappeared as soon as it had shown itself. Even IF it was some sort of Imperial scout then she would be fine even still. Instead she listened to the incessant chatter coming from the man and how he FINALLY put the pieces together. She sighed softly and looked over at him with an appearance of bemusement.

"Well you certainly pieced that together quickly. But your luck is bound to run out friend. My suggestion to you would to be to walk away. But the choice is yours to make. I have absolutely zero doubt in my mind, that around now, that the kings men would be combing this forest if not the whole island after what happened last night. It's a guess but I have my reasons." she said with a soft nod knowing that SHE was probably a major component of that. It was likely they'd be combing these woods only, reason being it didn't LOOK like a dragon attack, if anything it looked like a very calculated Thieves attack.

Of course the obvious conclusion for that not being the case was that nothing was stolen and that would likely be the biggest reason why the island would be searched. Regardless if a dragon were to simply shoot up a jet of flame or call out a the moment it would have consequences to them. She sighed, this really was a simple situation but one that had far to many dangerous facets to it. She needed to get the yearling away from here first and foremost, then she could worry about a reunion.

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Tanis/Cave--->Forest

Sleeping soundly from the relative safety of a cave, he began to stir ever so slightly as a loud bark echoed along the cavernous walls, a look of mild annoyance coming across his face as the noise reached his sensitive ears. "The hell mutt! What is it now?' rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he slowly rose to his feet, picking up his longs swords which he had lain on the stone floor before going to bed the previous night and sheathing him on both sides of his hips.

"This had better be good, or else I'll-" before he could finish his sentence his mind was assaulted with a slew of images and emotions, all ranging from excitement to fear to visions of an elf a human and a dragon, although they all ran through his mind so fast that he couldn't make sense of it all.

"Seriously? Another dream of yours? How many times do I have to tell you that I could care less about your damned fantasies!" he shouted angrily as he neared the mouth of the cave, raising an arm to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight pouring into the cave.

Giving his eyes time to adjust, he finally lowered his arm, glaring down at the brown furred wolf standing their waiting for him. Well it wasn't exactly standing, in fact its feet barely touched the ground as it yelped, jumping up and down around its master excitedly.

"What in the world did you just say?" he snapped, placing both hands on his hips and giving the dog a swift kick in its rear which got it to finally stand still. "Its not a dream? You really did see an elf, a human, and a dragon all having a meal together? You know how preposterous that sounds right?" tapping his foot impatiently, Tanis sighed softly as the wolf whimpered before dashing out of sight into the forest.

"Fine, I'll follow you. But may the gods help you if this is another one of your pranks." a smile broke across his face as he began sprinting after his furry companion, knowing full well that this was another trick of some sort, but he knew he was bound to get a good laugh out of whatever would happen next.

"Fine, if your right I promise I'll buy you three bags filled to the brim with all of the jerky you could hope for." easily maneuvering his way across the forest floor, weaving past trees and hopping over fallen logs, he was moving so fast that when the wolf suddenly stopped in its tracks he sprinted past it looking back in confusion as he dug his heels into the ground desperately trying to slow down his momentum.

"What the hell dog, what kind of game are you play-" suddenly turning as he crashed into a clearing, a look of utter bewilderment came across his face as he laid eyes upon an elf, a human, and a dragon all gathered at a campsite. Finally coming to a complete stop, hands moving to the hilt of his swords, he stood deathly still and remained completely silent not knowing how in the world he'd handle this situation or how the others would react to his sudden appearance. Although he was certain that they had heard him approaching long before his actual arrival.

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Myra / Forest

'Understandable, Synn is mother?, no wonder.' I will keep you safe, take you home, if what want.'

She understood the womans reaction to her images... They knew each other. That meant this was one of the elder Elves, and not just a renegade, or a magician playing tricks... Myra relaxed her guard, and felt the tension in her tummy relax. She'd had a rough couple of days, and knowing her mother was hunting for her only made the mater worse...

Not long after, though, sets of footsteps could be heard running towards the camp, and Myra immediately lost her sense of security... She immediately stood on all fours, and faced the noise, prepared to launch an elemental fire storm at whatever emerged from the woods... At least if it didn't seem edible... But she doubted wildlife would charge headfirst into a clearing with a Dragon, and Elf and a human...

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Kodlak Drakali/ Forest, Campsite

Letting out a sigh, he nodded. "Feels like it already---" He paused and whirled to face the direction of rushed footsteps, and the sound of feet skidding against ground, his bow up, right hand hovering above the quiver of arrows. He couldn't help but blink, as this was probably one of the least subtle methods for an attack... Though who'd dare to attack a campsite that has a dragon and a pair of experienced travelers, armed and armored well, he couldn't say.

Suffice to say, he was rendered speechless when the dastard, daring bastard that it was, just barreled in through the bushes and came to a halt. The first thing Kodlak took note of, were the weapons.

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Gaviel/Forest, Campsite

Seeing, and feeling that sudden feeling of security disappear she didn't even look at the man as he came barreling through the bushes instead she sighed and stood accordingly. Turning to face the man she made very soft but solid footsteps towards the man. Her chin lowered her eyes glaring right at him with the sharpest indigo glaring daggers into him. She didn't even have her hands on the many blades that were protruding from around her person and stood there silently as the tense situation became even more tense as she closed distance with him. He couldn't have been standing more than a few feet away when her last foot fall made contact with the ground and with a sudden and loud whish a blade had gone flying by his head and into the tree right behind him. her hand had barely moved and that was because the blade was on the side of the hand that had thrown it. Her other free hand resting along the hilt of another blade and was poised to strike.

Seeing the wolf her mind put two and two together but her eyes never left the mans. "Care to explain the intrusion? I'd hate to have to water the trees with blood. I don't think they're deserving." It was clear she was fed up with delays. At least Myra it would seem that way and she was getting tired of this whole situation in and of itself. It made keeping the yearling safe more and more arduous and not to mention dangerous.

"I would suggest you explain yourself in short order." There was absolutely no sign of hesitation in her voice that he would lay dead where he stood if he even attempted to fight.

She paid the wolf no mind, if it knew better then it would know WELL not to interfere. If the man truly did have the ability to communicate, which she extrapolated from the fact that the presence from before had disappeared and this man had suddenly shown himself. It wasn't a hard deduction but it certainly wasn't one she could support with evidence without confirmation from the man before her. But she had a solid guess that it was correct.

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Tanis/Forest

His grip on the hilt of his swords tightened as the women approached, blinking a few times as the blade flew pass his head he stared her dead in the eyes before sighing his hands falling to his sides, he didn't have a reason to cross blades with her and even if he did it would be foolish to do so with the dragon and the man holding a bow backing her up.

"I don't mean you folks any harm..." raising his hands in the air as a show of good faith, he made sure to erect walls around his mind so nothing would be able to see his thoughts without him putting up a fight. His eyes flickered from the elf to the human, then to the dragon, where they lingered for a moment before his full attention went back to the woman in front of him.

"This is all a... misunderstanding." the green robes he wore over his armor would begin to move ever so gently as a light breeze passed through the clearing, hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to using magic to escape but preparing just in case, a subtle flow of wind would begin to gather at his feet, although this would most likely go unnoticed by anyone but him.

"How shall I put this, that wolf you see cowering in the bushes behind led me here, she's been my companion for quite some time, and trust me when I say this..." a frown came across his face as he looked at the wolf out of the corner of his eye.

"... this isn't the first time she's gotten me into a situation like this. Well maybe not exactly like this, but I'm sure you understand what I'm saying, the beasts quite a tricky one indeed, and if you allow me to live I swear I'll tan its hide so thoroughly that it won't dare to do something like this again."

He nearly smiled as he thought how crazy he must seem to all of them, although if they happened to take note of his slightly pointed ears it might shed some light on the situation.

"So what will you do pure blood? Will you let me live or are you so bloodthirsty that you'd cut me down where I stand, even when I've tried to explain myself and keep the peace?" He spoke to the women in perfect elvish, hoping that the sound of her native tongue would sway her in some way.

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Gaviel/Forest, Campsite

She saw his ears and that was the first notion that she wouldn't kill the man, kill, not harm. She simply looked at him with a perplexed look and moved forwards once again brushing past him with a rough passing of shoulders before moving to the tree behind him and Ripping it out of the bark...the depth of the blade was rather...frightening. Turning around and walking back to her apparent compatriots she sheathed the blade with an audible *Schwing* against the hilt of it's holster. She turned back and crossed her arms looking at the man once more with a subtle release of breath from her lungs.

"So then. Elvish you may be, but I'd much rather see the dog spared then you. Curiosity is permissible, being rude?, not nearly." she said narrowing her eyes at him once again, the obvious dis-contentedness was present in her disposition and she would have it be known.

"Also, if you plan on casting that wind of yours, i'd suggest you do it when not in the presence of one with wings that could likely crush you from the pressure alone." she said noting the dragon once more in the group.

Instead of dealing with this she stretched and would allow the human to deal with the half elf, her attention was keeping the dragon safe and that was about it. She understood that the youngling, right now, could probably fare for herself, and then some. But that protective urge steamed from respect, and the past. She was no mother, and she didn't think she'd ever really be fit for such an endeavor...not in a world where her children would likely be killed simply for being. And that was what drove her... At least in her mind. She had plenty of driving forces but many of them steamed from plenty of other facets.

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Kodlak Drakali/ Campsite

Blinking a few times, he finally lowered the bow, as well as his hand from the quiver of arrows. Today was turning out to be odd... Not as odd as yesterday, but definitely still odd. He knew not the names of these two people... And he wasn't fully certain the yearling had a name. It certainly hadn't told him. Shaking his head, he rubbed at his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips. "Gods above... How chaotic is my life going to be..."

Meeting, hell, seeing a dragon, had been a dream of his when he was a young whelp of a boy... Now, not only had he seen one, he had seen two, and was actively in the presence of one. Now, he had two total strangers before him, one knowledgeable on dragons, while remaining a mysterious stranger...

The other was truly a completely mysterious stranger, as he knew next to nothing about this new person, aside from the fact that the man was smart enough to know when the odds were so against him, it'd take a suicidal madman to actually try fighting the odds.

Of course, there was nothing odd about strangers. In his line of work, every time you're hired, it's by a stranger...

What struck him as odd, was the convenience of this whole matter... As though the Fates themselves had willed it. One knowledgeable on dragons, another an apparent beast tamer, though how the man had tamed a wolf, Kodlak would never know... And a yearling dragon...

He had to wonder... Where did he fit in this painting?

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Tanis/Forest

A wave of relief washed over him as the man lowered his bow, a smug grin coming across his face as the elf spoke. "So you noticed that? You can't blame a person for making sure he has a clear avenue of escape, I'm sure you'd do the same if you were the one in my situation." Crossing his arms against his chest, his posture relaxed slightly, and he took another quick glance at the dragon before turning around shaking his head and snickering as he realized his canine companion had run off while he had been occupied.

"Damn mutt." chuckling as he turned to face the strangers once more, his curiosity was truly piqued by the beings gathered before him, and as he opened his mouth to speak several terrified squawks could be heard from somewhere above them.

Looking towards the sky a flock of birds could be seen soaring overhead, with a simple mental command one of the birds would veer downwards, landing on his now outstretched arm. Closing his eyes as the birds memories began to flow into his mind, a worried expression came across his face, and a moment later the bird would take off into the sky desperately trying to catch up with its brethren.

"I don't know if this has anything to do with you..." he said, opening his eyes as his gaze moved from the elf to the human. "...but about fifty well armed soldiers have entered the forest from the south, and judging by the banner they carry they appear to be the kings' men." his jaw tightened as he waited for a response, he knew that it would probably be best to get away while he still had the chance, he was sure that if he left now the soldiers would never catch up with him. The only thing keeping him here was that if he did happen to run into some trouble in this forest, having a few well trained warriors at his side plus a young dragon would most certainly even the odds quite a bit.

"If you folks happen to need a way out of here, there's a cave not far from where we are now, it cuts through the cliff and will take us to the edge of the forest, otherwise you'd all have to go around. Unless the two of you planned on hopping onto that dragons back and flying out of here." he added sarcastically, nervously looking over his shoulder even though there was no way in hell kings soldiers could have gotten this far into the forest already.

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Myra / Forest

She listened to the two legged beings talk, and understood most of it... A few phrases and such threw her off, but the main conversation was within her understanding...

She watched as the female engaged the half elf, or almost did... Luckily the third one backed down before a real fight started. Myra was tempted to smack him off his feet with her tail, but that action could lead to injuries if she wasn't very careful. Instead, she simply waited for the female to handle the situation... She seemed capable, at least, in her two legged form... And if things got out of hand, she imagined she would have no problem with shifting to her formidable dragon form...

Myra watched as the events unfolded. She relaxed her stance, but kept her eyes on the newcomer... And his pet... She didn't feel any safer, but at least the fear of the unknown had passed.

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Kodlak Drakali/ Campsite

Listening intently, his eyes widened at the amount of soldiers. He knew that he was the root of the problem, here. If he hadn't decided to stop to treat his injury, minor as it was, if he hadn't decided to go hunting when and where he did... The dragons, both the yearling and the one from yesterday, may never have known of his presence in the area... If that hadn't happened, the caravan might not've been attacked, as the yearling dragon might've remained in its nest.

If the caravan hadn't been attacked, there would've been little need for a fair troop of 50 soldiers to enter the forest...

A sigh escaped his lips.

"I'm afraid it very well has everything to do with me... Or, at the very least, my actions yesterday, and the consequences of said actions... Tch." At the end, he clicked his tongue in an annoyed fashion, running a hand down his face as he did.

"This cave... To me, it seems to be the best option for the sake of avoiding getting caught by these king's men..." He adjusted his rucksack on his back as he spoke, and once he finished speaking, he pondered on his own goal. Getting to Harlen...

With a nod, he made his decision. He would split apart from the group, either upon reaching the cave, or exiting on the other side. The only thing that had him worried was; would the yearling follow him, or not? He hoped the yearling wouldn't. To him, it seemed this woman, knowledgeable on the dragons as she was, was the best bet for the yearling to reach the safety of its parents.

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Myra / Forest

She listened and felt a pang of remorse as the human blamed himself for her own actions. She felt a spark of anger, suggesting that a mere human could influence the decisions of a dragon, but at the same time she knew that every action had a consequence... She didn't think far enough ahead, and she ended up in this situation because of that...

Myra looked between all the members of the party, finally resting her eyes on Gaviel... Her brilliant big blue eyes silently asked for guidance. She wasn't sure what to do next... She only knew she was in for a tail lashing whenever she got back home... She had not intended to be gone this long, but it seemed like the world itself intended for her to get lost, and stay that way...

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Synn / The Spine

She flew hard and fast... It was merely half a days flight, but she trained her energy and reduced the time by half, making speed she never thought possible... Her chest heaved from the exertion, and her legs felt heavy, but she flew on and on, eventually penetrating the faltering mist, diving deep into the crags below...

She felt the wind bounce off the walls of the mountains as she descended, using the air as a sort of echo location... She descended into the darkness, until the sun only shone as a sort of glow. The peaks rose above her like dark daggers in the mist... Only shadows marked their existence...

Synn realized what it meant by coming here, and she knew the gravity of the situation... Her heavy heart compelled her to seek council though, and she knew only one dragon that could help.

"Oromis... Elder... Watcher... Alpha... " she thought, projecting the jumbled words and thoughts, and pictures into the mist... She had never met the great Watcher, but she knew he was real, and she knew he would answer if she truly needed his aid...

Synn opened up her mind and her emotions, and let everything flow out, seeping into the magical mist... She felt herself touch the rocks below as she released herself, and she collapsed from exhaustion on the damp, bare, rock...

"Help... "

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Spine of the World

Inhale, exhale...
Inhale, exhale...

The mountain itself seemed to breathe as a gentle breeze blew through the valleys.
Curling tendrils of fog formed in the air, only to be scattered by the wind before forming once more.
A billy goat ran, expertly picking its way across the dangerous slopes without missing a single step.
It had almost reached a plateau when a sudden gale blew it off balance, sending the creature scrambling desperately for footing.

The Watcher mentally twitched.
Its attention had long been turned from the Spine, but now...now it had been returned.
The weakening mists once again grew in strength, filling the valleys and encroaching into the plains that surrounded the Spine.

An intruder...?


Oromis
Elder
Watcher
Alpha
Help


Words and thoughts collided with each other, a confusing jumble of information that even the Old One had some difficulty deciphering from among the multitude of streams it watched. Yet, this was not so unusual. The Watcher watched, and this was but one more of the many things that became worth taking note of recently.
Picking them apart with the precision and patience that defined its existence, the great beast that made the Spine its home was soon drawn back to the land of the conscious.

Such foolishness...

A great rumbling coursed through the mountains as the highest peak itself seemed to shift in the mist.

No...the peak itself was moving.

Giant layers of rock and dirt began to separate from each other, unfolding into massive wings.
Great boulders raised themselves from idleness, the limbs of one that could truly be called a behemoth slowly appearing.

Rash...but...no matter...
We shall see to this...whelp...

Spreading wings so large, they blotted out whatever sunlight made it through the mists, the great beast flapped once and took flight.

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Gaviel/Forest

The sudden bound of excitement from them all only furthered her annoyance by them all and she grit her teeth and turned around directly communicating to the Yearling. She could feel the emotions of her far more then the two men and the wolf, so instead she insisted to the dragon in question the following. 'You need to stay safe...we need to have you returned home, I will kill the men coming, and we will depart. Do, not, trust these two.' she said with a gruffness to her mental commands that let the dragon know that she wasn't being anything short of serious and then some. Now replying with her own tongue she growled out to both of them.

"I'd suggest you all get going then." She said grabbing her things and turning on a heel and departing deeper into the forest. More specifically in the direction of the fight that was sure to come, drawing her hood and mask over her head in order to conceal her features.

Her travel through the forest was quickened by the fact she was pissed to high hell. The anger stemming from the fact that those two humans...she considered the half elf a human due to his utter ignorance, had interfered and drawn to much time from getting the yongling away from ANY possible dangers. She growled out mentally as she moved through the forest like water flows over rocks, deliberate but with a sheer elegance, but also with the promise of coming to a violent and crashing halt if it was impeded. A black smoke like substance trailing behind her as she continued to breathe. Within minutes she could hear the boisterous men. Boisterous for the forest that was the clank and clamor of their armor and weapons easily distinguishable.

She ascended to the trees after having found a good position to strike from, it was an open area with trees around them but wide enough that if she had to break out into her full form that it would have been navigable. Fifty men was nothing, not comparatively, even without resorting to her form, she was absolutely certain she could have taken twenty five of them on with her blades alone, and that was the intent. She peered down with eagle like intent in her eyes as she saw the approaching line of men...spread wide as if searching. No surprises there, also staggered...but they were by no means quiet, a few of them keeping up a pretty decent conversation. There wasn't going to be any better time to strike, so with a deadly silence she descended on them like a black and silent death.

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The man had just been recruited into the Kings men, having proven himself of some re-known with his bow. The armor was a nice advantage though and he had just been the night before chuckling with his friend Balthazar. The man was about five meters behind him from what he could understand. They were spread given sectors of coverage to search for. Designed to weed out anyone, or anything over a wider area, he wanted to see if the man was there to give him a gesture to an inside joke that he would likely only understand. Turning around to see if he was there he was stricken by the sight of something he hadn't quite anticipated. There was a blade running across his neck and a figure shrouded in what appeared to be utter darkness. His reaction to act was far faster than his reaction to speak and he had his bow drawn and up letting free an arrow only seconds after the mans body had fallen.

The arrow flew true and was aimed directly for what appeared to be that...thing's head. His hand already reaching for his next arrow before his eyes went wide at what had happened. The arrow VISIBLY appeared to disappear into the darkness of the figures form...but...he was certain that he'd aimed for what appeared to be it's head. The next, last, and horrifying thing he saw, was the arrow shooting right back at him...the figure not close behind the movement breaking the black like guise surrounding it making way to two, terrifyingly Sharp indigo eyes, slatted pupils and with a burning determination. What followed next was the arrow piercing strait through his eye....dead...the darkness descending over his form as his body would fall...with what he would hope to be a clamor to alert everyone else.

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She steamed forwards with a determination coming to a skidding halt making a startling lack of noise as she caught the falling body, the dark smoke she had used to disguise her form now pooling around her again as she caught the falling man lowering him to the ground quickly. She hadn't taken into account someone turning and was prided by the fact she'd taken care of the situation so easily. But there was noise, and that was the issue...a few other men now turning to look...blast...she'd been spotted and the men readily called out and she growled to herself and with a quick snap of her head she was off to a full sprint. She had no intentions of running from this fight, not by a long shot.

The men had gathered into a rather tight packed group, to which she dove in to, her blades drawn and crossed as she came down like a flash of lightning her blades slashing out across two spearman's necks blood spurting out as she dove through their falling bodies to sweep the man behind hims legs out from under him her blade coming up and going through his falling body before she twisted and sent the blade in her other hand strait forwards into another man's unprotected head. This had the clamor of around the other forty men closing in on her to which she simply grinned. Skirmishes like this were her forte.

Another five men had fallen and she was still standing two blades in her hands, crouched down, looking almost feral in her stance with a third and fourth blade actually being held at the joint of her knees. Two more men charged in and she dove towards them tumbling through the air, like a saw blade being thrown she tore through one and flicked her leg the blade spinning into the others head, figuring that they were finally outmatched the remaining men now surrounded her their spears all pointed. Gruffly breathing a little heavy now she grinned...if they didn't want the fair fight she could provide that as well.

They had closed in all that were left having stepped over their dead comrades all determined to see this...thing, killed. She raised her head quickly sheathing all of her blades and then moved down quickly sending a massive plume of black smoke over the area all of them coughing and wheezing. But this was a ploy for when they raised their own heads...what greeted them was by no means...something they had prepared for in the slightest. Before them stood a mass of a creature...that black smoke spilling out from it...shrouding it's form from ever being fully visible...the only truly visible things were the bright red eyes and gaping maw that had a red tone to it...like some creature summoned from the furthest depths of hell had come to visit them in particular.

There was a sudden ear shattering roar that resonated from the creature the men all paralyzed in absolute terror as it lowered it's gaping maw and growled out opening its mouth and from it spilled out what appeared to be a small blaze of fire. The men all opening their eyes at it came out. The following reaction had them all incinerated the black dust like substance that had been clouding the air suddenly and violently igniting creating an almost instant Pyre that blasted outwards. Engulfing the immediate area in a blaze of fire the likes of which would have been enough to kill absolutely anyone human in the immediate area.

The fire started flowing back however as there again was the human form of Gaviel the fire forming into a large orb in the palms of her hands before it was extinguished in the immediate area slowly she absorbed it into her...the gauntlet on her right hand starting to glow softly as the orb got smaller and smaller before her hands were clasped together and she let out and audible sigh. Looking around at the now charcoal like bodies she let out a breath of contentedness before moving around to the blackened and utterly ravished bodies removing her personal blades...the only ones that weren't burning, and sheathing them in their respective spots. She grumbled underneath her breath as she removed her hood and mask and simply looked around wondering what had happened to the small group over the course of time she was "taking care" of this little situation.

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Kodlak Drakali/ Forest, campsite

Narrowing his eyes only slightly at the tone the woman used, irritated by it in fact, he shook his head and turned to his other three companions, gesturing for the man to lead the way.

"The sooner we get to the cave and through it, the faster we can get away from the king's men."

Indeed, he wanted to get away from the king's men that were supposedly coming. Sparing only a glance over his shoulder, towards the direction the woman had taken, he shook his head again, thinking 'Stay safe, stranger... Should the Fates be willing, we needn't meet again...'

Though he'd only been accompanied by a dragon for one day, already he grew tired of such a companionship. He wanted no part in something as shady and beyond his understanding, as this... Even working for a smuggler was better compared to this. After all... With a smuggler, he could always claim ignorance, that he was hired for a simple escort job and that was it...

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Oromis//Spine of the World

The great serpent flew straight and true, his massive bulk navigating through the treacherous terrain with practiced ease. Indeed, he flew with eyes completely shut, so attuned to the nature of his home that vision was but a hindrance in the fog. Within minutes, he had found that which he was seeking. Unconscious within a small valley, the very youngling that had called out lay completely still except for noticeably laborious breathing.

Hmmm...

Approaching the child, Oromis felt - rather than saw - the smaller dragon's distressed state. Moving closer, Oromis made a wide circle around the body, careful not to injure Synn even further as he towered over her. Finding a suitable site, he lay himself down as well before reaching out with his muzzle and nudging the body. A faint sheen radiated from his body as he made contact, one simple, singular thought transmitted as he did so.

Awaken...

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Synn / Spine of the World

She felt the contact, mentally and physically, and was compelled, despite her state, to obey... And she did awaken from her trance like state. The massive word Awaken... filled her consciousness and shook her to her very core, as if she were about to fall apart from the inside...

Synn looked around herself and saw naught but the oppressive mist for a moment, but she felt the presence of the Other... She knew he was there, and she knew he was watching.

Synn struggled to stand, but managed, feeling a mite of strength return, knowing her flight hadn't been for nothing... She folded her wings and searched with her eyes through the mist for a sign of the ancient dragon, but saw nothing but rock and mountain...

"Teacher... I need your help... " she reached out mentally, searching for contact with him once more...

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Oromis//Spine of the World

Not seeing the need to move, Oromis simply sat there as he watched the young one struggle awake. He had infused his contact with energy, but it would still take time for Synn to fully recover her strength. For now, having the intruder conscious was enough.

You...are Synn...
Elf...
Dragonkin...

His mental voice was ponderous, a slow, deeply resonant voice that sounded like the earth was rumbling.

You...should not be here...

Punctuating his last sentence with a snort, the mass of stone that seemed to be before Synn would tremble as a cloud of dust was blown up.

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Synn / Spine of the World

"You...should not be here..."

She started awake as the wall of 'rock' before her snorted, and exhaled... She realized she was sitting next to him and she immediately felt like a yearling in his massive, overbearing, presence...

Synn remained silent, unable to speak or clearly form a thought aside from the realization of his sheer size... She managed to open up her mind to allow him to search for himself, but aside from that, she was unable to move...

She looked from the snout of the great dragon, along the mist and deciphered with her keen eyes the shapes that lay before her... But the sheer mass of the Watcher and the mist only allowed her to see his jaw, possible an eye, and a few jagged spikes that most likely grew out just before his ear...

Synn felt dizzy and so she sat down, waiting for the Elder Dragon to discover her purpose...

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Oromis//Spine of the World

With eyes still shut, Oromis leans in closer as if inspecting her, his head looking like a massive boulder about to crush the helpless dragon.

Hmmm...

Noting the lowering of her mental defenses as an invitation, he begins prodding her mind. There must be something that drove her to such desperation and he would likely find it in her memories. His presence within her mind would weigh heavily upon her, the Watcher being less than gentle in his search. Nevertheless, he was extremely thorough. Not one minute later, he raised his head once more, having found the information he needed.

This whelp was surprisingly interesting, thought the Old One as he linked the various thoughts in his mind. He had felt her desperation before. Even more, he had felt the mind of that which she had so desperately thrown herself into seeking. It was a weak presence, now missing, but he knew where it had been not a day ago.

The reason...is clear...
You will leave...now...

The air seemed to gain a life of its own as the mists began churning around them, a veritable whirlwind soon forming with the two dragons at its eye. Oromis slowly backed away, the raging winds barely affecting his massive bulk.

A gift...to aid you...

A flood of thoughts would pour into Synn's barely conscious mind, leaving her with precious - though confusing - information.

Trees
Animals
Humans
Scared
Birds
Sunlight
Dragonkin
Safe
Mother


The transfer complete, the great dragon's presence would rapidly fade away, almost as if he had been but a ghost or vision in the fog.
When Synn next awoke, she would find herself resting upon a craggy outcrop at the edge of the mountains. If she were to but look forwards, the treeline of a certain forest would be visible in the distance. Even more mysteriously, her exhaustion would be little more than a faintly throbbing ache in her bones.

==============================================================================

The Watcher pondered the future.

Humans, always...changing...

Once again, their curiosity and greed threatened to destroy them, to destroy the fragile peace that had been kept.
The Old One's claws tightened, crushing the rocks underfoot into little more than a sandy dust.

Humans...

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Kodlak Drakali/ Forest, campsite

Letting out a sigh, he shook his head and once again adjusted the rucksack, "I suppose the first step to reaching the cave you spoke of, is to head towards the mountain?" and started heading towards the mountains. He shot a nervous glance at the fogs covering the mountain, recalling all the stories he'd heard of the Old One. None knew what it was... Almost all whom ventured into those foggy no-man's-lands, returned raving mad, or confused, as though they'd had no intention of coming back when they did... He had seen a few of those who returned, maddened by some shadow in the fog, ever watching. That was the one thing the few he'd seen had insisted upon, agreed upon. A shadow in the fog, ever alert, ever watchful.

He knew not whether it was the Old One, the Old One's spirit, or something else entirely. What he did know was, that he would never brave the fogs, should that be an option.

It always had him on edge, travelling this close to the mountains. Even more so now, when they would have to head towards the mountain to reach the cave. He muttered a short prayer underneath his breath. "Gods, grant me the willpower to carry on..." He paused for a moment to glance over his shoulder, checking to see if any of his three companions for the immediate future were following him... And gestured to do so.

"Come on, we're burning daylight, and I'd rather not fight the king's men in the dark, or at all."

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Synn / Forest

She had been awake for quite some time now... A mental pull, leading her flight onwards, in a direction she remembered well. She had flown this way a few nights ago during her hunt... She recognized patches of trees, and a few fields here and there... A thicker portion of forest she remembered as the habitat for the larger predators. Synn remembered where she had thundered down upon the caravan of the kings troops, and where she had created a hole in the canopy of trees as she crashed down on top of her prey...

Synn ceased flapping her wings as she slowly circled in the clouds... She felt many minds, and many lives below her, but they slowly began to fade. Most of them were human, but some weren't... They were faint, so she couldn't sort out thoughts, but she knew they were human... Mostly... She felt a larger presence, it was much stronger or larger, but it was just as far away...

She dove slowly down through the bottom of the clouds... From below she would be invisible... White scale on white clouds... She circled slowly, watching the green shell of treetops below, scanning the edges, and waiting for a sign that this was where she was supposed to be. She FELT like it was, but she also knew that a yearling on foot could move as fast as a horse, and if accompanied by humans, or elves... Who knew what was afoot...

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Myra - Forest

She followed Kodlack for a moment, looking between the direction the she-elf ran off to, and her friend, obviously torn between the decision... She knew she should probably stay put, but she didn't really want to stay if the kings men were on their way...

Myra turned towards her human friend and raced forwards, slowing as she reached his side... She turned her head a fraction to look into his eyes as he led the small group forwards. She kept her gigantic blue saucers on him as she walked. Myra wasn't usually one to follow, but she felt safer with this man, and she enjoyed the thrill of the adventure, despite the looming threat of death... Whether by spear, or mothers claw...

Myra snickered to herself at that last thought... She imagined mother swooping down and giving her the lashing of her life right there in front of her new friends... And if dragons could blush, she knew she would be right now...

Myra looked away, focusing on the direction they were traveling, remembering landmarks as they walked...

"Broken tree... "

"Blueberry bush..."

The list droned on and on as they walked... They passed under countless trees, and through a few clearings, and past quite a few dens, where only dark scary animals lived, though nothing quite frightened the young dragon... If anything the creatures crept further back into their caves as she passed. Myra lifted her head a bit higher at that thought...

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Kodlak Drakali/ Forest

Pausing for a bit, he looked to his draconic companion, slightly raising an eyebrow at the way it carried itself now, though a subtle, amused smirk appeared on his face a moment after. Thinking back on it, he recalled that there were some dangerous creatures living in this part of the woods. Yet, none had approached or attacked them yet. Clearly, the dragon's presence was keeping the creatures of the forest at bay, and the dragon had noticed this as well. That'd explain the confidence it had in its stance at this moment... 'I shouldn't be so surprised, should I? Dragons ARE the Apex Predators, after all.'

Looking towards the canopy of trees, where the sun shone through the gaps between the leaves, he took a deep breath and brought his gaze to face forward, searching the area ahead for danger. More specifically, any signs of bandits and alike... While dragons are the apex predators, the one he had with him was still a yearling, a kid... Not knowing how strong the dragon accompanying him is, he could only estimate that a large enough group of bandits would have a fair chance of succeeding, should they try to capture the yearling.

His shoulders tensed as he thought back to when his father was killed. A deep frown marred his face, as he remembered the pain. A glance at the dragon beside him, and he took a deep breath, cementing himself in his current situation. The dragon that he had, supposedly at least, befriended, lost its way home, separated from its parents and any possible siblings.

Come what may, he would see the dragon reunited with its parents, or the dragon saw and remembered a path home.

With that, his attention returned to searching the area for any threats to their health, bow at the ready, an arrow notched yet not drawn.

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Tanis/Forest

"The entrance to the cave is just up ahead." he said from his position at the front of the group, a look of concern coming across his face as the mouth of the cave came into view. "We should be able to get in and out just fine." he stopped directly in front of the dark tunnel leading through the mountain, holding his arms out at various angles as if he were measuring the size of the cave.

"But I think the dragon will have some trouble getting through." sighing softly, he turned to face Myra, looking her over quickly before facing Kodlack. "It'll be a tight squeeze for her at least." his hands suddenly went to the hilt of his swords as the sounds of several twigs snapping could be heard, but they instantly fell to his sides once more as the wolf from before emerged from the forest and trotted over to his side.

"About time you showed up." he said smiling, scratching the wolf affectionately behind the ears.

"So what are your thoughts? I'll be heading in this direction no matter what. Will you and the dragon still be accompanying me?" he asked Kodlack, it could be noted that since he had met them not once had he addressed the dragon directly or even given it that much attention for that matter.

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Kodlak Drakali/ The cave

Cupping his chin with his right hand, he closed his eyes in thought, opening them a moment later.

"I imagine that our ways will split soon. I plan on heading to Harlen." He paused here for a moment, glancing at the dragon. While he did plan on heading to Harlen, he still had something imporant that he needed to see through first...

'A ''Her'' eh? Well, at least I won't have to think of her as an ''It'' anymore.' Letting out a small sigh, he rubbed a finger against the stubble that had been growing.

"Hopefully, I can find a well-paying job there."

Taking a glance at the mouth of the cave, and then at the dragon, he grimaced a little.

"It's definitely going to be tight... Does it get wider than that? I hate small spaces, myself." He gestured to his own height and bulk. He was no shrimp, a shrimp couldn't handle a two-handed greatsword after all. Even the lighter ones are still fairly heavy.

"That reminds me... How long is the tunnel? I'd rather not suffocate from the lack of air in there..."

He spared a glance at the wolf, before taking a look towards the foggy mountains. Standing in the shadow of these mountains was both humbling, and nerve-wrecking.

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Tanis/The Cave

"Once we make it through it'll only be a days journey to Harlen, by foot that is." as he stepped into the pitch black cave his footsteps and the sound of his voice echoed off of the walls, without warning he'd draw a single sword and the blade would suddenly be covered in orange flames, illuminating the cave somewhat and allowing them to see a couple feet in front of them at least.

"Watch your step, the cave floor is littered with rocks." he warned, holding out the swords flaming edge as far away from his body as possible. "And theirs honestly no need to worry about suffocating, the tunnel isn't really that long and I'll provide air if the need arises."

He'd take a quick glance at the wolf and without a single word being spoken it would dash down the tunnel ahead of them, disappearing into the blackness.

"Also, we might be able to acquire horses to hasten out travels, although even with my level of skill it'll be pretty damn hard to keep them calm with that dragon around." he said with a look of disgust coming across his face, although the others wouldn't be able to take notice of it since he was facing away from them, and he made sure to keep his inner emotions in check so man nor beast would be able to pick up on them.

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Kodlak Drakali/ The Cave

Pausing for a moment, he cupped his chin, nodding and gesturing for the dragon to go first as he did a quick search of the forest behind them, trying to spot anything that he could call a threat. Bandits, king's men, or the creatures of the forest. Seeing none, he replaced the notched arrow back into the quiver and proceeded towards the mouth of the cave, fully intending to enter the tunnel once the dragon had. His right hand was grasping the hilt of his blade, prepared to draw it out at a moment's notice. His steps would be cautious within the cave, as they should be.

Something nagged at the edge of his mind, something he was firmly ignoring. It felt like entering the cave would be a mistake, somehow, but he squashed the thought where it stood, assured that it was simply his own dislike of enclosed, narrow spaces that had him feeling the way he did.

"The knowledge about this route, it'd have been useful earlier in my life. Would've saved me a good four days' worth of travelling every time I had to get to Harlen..." Having to go around mountains, around cliff-walls too steep and dangerous to climb, search for places to cross a violent river safely... That was why going on foot would take such a while, as Harlen was, almost practically, right behind the mountain range that they were about to pass under.

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Myra/ The Cave

She didn't like this. The cave, it seemed entirely too small. Still, her friend, the human, Kodlak, had decided that this way would be where they'd be going. She wanted to question it, to resist it. Did they really have to go this way? Then again... There were the king's men to worry about. If they caught up now... The cave would be the only way, wouldn't it?

Suppose it's better to get it out of the way now, instead of later. Still...

Kodlak & Myra/ The Cave

She wouldn't enter without letting her human friend know her discomfort at the idea...

With a yelp of surprise, followed by a thud and a grunt, Kodlak found himself lying on the ground, staring at a pair of blue eyes glimmering with amusement, tail flicking back and forth in front of his face, giving evidence to who had tripped him. He could see from the dragon's stance, however, that she wasn't fully comfortable entering the cave. None the less, she did enter, and he could swear he heard the dragoness snickering at him. Letting out a breath, followed by an amused

"Hmph..." he shook his head and got up.

With one last glance at the forest they were about to leave behind themselves, he followed the young dragoness into the tunnel, left hand in contact with the tunnel wall. While the light their mysterious companion had created with his magic was helpful, he preferred to remain cautious.

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Gaviel/Forest-Mountain Foothills

She had moved with a dedication and motivation that was unsurprising...time having passed rather quickly during her little "dismantling" of the Kings men. She stretched a little and took off at dead sprint through the forest, no longer worrying about noise or being quiet in the slightest. After her little outburst anything in this forest would know WELL not to approach her. For the larger bears and wolves that roamed this forest were little more than a meal waiting to be had for Gaviel. So instead her path was simply blocked by tree's. Which she used to try and catapult herself faster and faster...they had a large lead on her and it was not something she liked. She also knew well that if it was a cave...depending on it's size, it would make the yearling incredibly vulnerable. This weighed heavy on her mind and pushed her to try and run faster.

Deciding that this was not the most effective way to travel, by any means she found herself ascending into the trees when she could gripping a branch and launching herself up beyond the tree tops and shifting into her massive form. Her black wings causing many branches to snap below her as her wings flapped and she took off just above the canopy of the trees.

Her large black form would have stood out for anyone that could see above the canopy but of course as of now there was no such audience. The only other tell tale give away was how she rustled the tops of the trees as she flew. She could see the mountains coming up within her view and with one more flap she gained some altitude before shifting back into her smaller form a Blade being drawn as she fell through the top of the tree and slammed into the great piece of wood and spiraled down the side and landed with a soft thud and exhale of her breath. Drawing her blade from the wood she moved forwards again headed strait for what looked like the mouth of a cave...assuredly the one that the half elf was speaking about before.

Moving forwards with a few softer breaths from the effort she put forwards to get over here she stretched her arms and sheathed her blade moving past the trees and into the rockier terrain that would lead up to the cave. She closed her eyes and stood still for a moment as she tried to listen for any sort of reverberation coming from the cave....she could hear something....but not enough to say it was them or not. Regardless she could smell the yearling's presence was once here. She moved forwards softly before her foot fall stopped completely her eyes widening and her eyes turning to the sky for a moment.

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Synn / Cave Entrance

She flew in a silent glide as she searched the forest below for traces of her daughters presence. Her smell was quite unique... A mixture of her own smell ( the smell you can't quite detect, but others learn to recognize you with ) and a subtle sweet aroma, like boiling honey, or syrup... She sniffed the air as she glided slowly, but the wind carried no trace of her daughter...

She flapped her wings twice, three times, gaining elevation, but not speed, as she continued her search.

Suddenly, she saw as black shadow flitting across the green treetops. It was faint and small, but it was there... It seemed to be a black cloud at first, but it had a hard center of mass, and moved with great speed... Synn descended a little to get a closer look at the thing, and to see if she could catch its smell on the wind... But as suddenly as she saw it, the black disappeared...

Synn descended a bit more, and flew in a lazy S before she spotted the blackness again... It had traveled half a mile in a few moments, and seemed to be inside the treetops, flitting from branch to branch, then running across the green leaves themselves before disappearing once more...

The blackness disappeared in a thinning grove of trees... But as Synn turned to follow suit, her senses jolted as the familiar smell of sweet honey filled her nose... Synns eyes darted to where the blackness disappeared into the green of the forest and she dove down, intent on reaching the shadow before the shadow found her daughter...

Synn opened her wings like a parachute, creating a loud snap as they caught the air and slowed her massive body down, just before it crashed through the tree tops onto the hard rock of the cave entrance, cracking the stone, vertically, through the center of the ceiling... Even as she landed she locked her eyes on the black form, which wasn't quite what she had expected. Synn did a mental double take before flapping her wings once more, creating a gust of wind that would stagger a horse, though maybe not a human as thin as this one...

She roared out a warning that turned into a constant growl as she prepared to leap, and squish this creature before continuing her search for her lost child, eliminating the potential threat, just in case...

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Gaviel/Cave Entrance

She did a somersault backwards as the massive figure came crashing down the wind created sending small bits of rock her way and she winced at the loudness of the roar and the second flap of the wings sending her hair and hood flying backwards giving a clear showing of her pointed ears. The other tell tale was again her eyes gazing back into the dragons eyes without an inkling of fear. More so they were of a determined nature and she grit her teeth reaching out with her mind to reply.

'Calm yourself sister, I am here to retrieve your daughter not harm her!' she said her hands clenched...the large form before her would easily crush her in a fight without a moments hesitation. But in retaliation to that Gaviel had the advantage of actually being of the elvish kind.

She continued to prove her case 'I have come here to retrieve your daughter, I have been protecting her, I killed humans not but minutes ago to secure her safety. I was foolish to leave her alone with a half elf and a man...but it was the only option I had.' She said speaking through her mind and breathing softly as she stood her ground.

There wasn't any room to screw around here...this wasn't just some guard incapable of the most basic magics no this was a fully fledged elvish dragon before her and she knew if that the right words in the right way were not said. She'd be the one lying on the grass dismembered and dead. Regardless she kept her ground but held her hands up in a surrendering posture as if to tell the large one before her that she was meaning absolutely no harm to her and was attempting to tell the truth.

Fact of the matter was that Gaviel wasn't intending to die here so if the dragon did make a move her hands would have been high enough to throw the blades on her shoulders as a distraction. But instead she started throwing mental images Synn's way of her daughter and their conversations from before. Showing her that she was trying to protect her and had killed a fair few of the kings men to do it.

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Synn / Cave Entrance

Synn immediately recognized the mind that connected with hers, and felt a little embarrassed for letting her rage take hold of her senses, but she didn't' let that show. Instead Synn dropped from atop the caves entrance, the shifting weight crumbling more of the rocky outcropping, sending small showers of dust and pulverized rock to the cave floor...

Synn investigated Gaviel, smelling her first, bringing her massive head only inches from Gaviels body, before looking her over again... Once her curiosity was satisfied, she allowed herself to morph into her Elven Form.

Synn smiled and clasped her hands together in front of herself before bowing slightly, before taking on a more serious demeanor...

"I'm sorry for my violent entrance... I've been searching for my daughter for what seems like days, and have only founds trouble and danger... And it seems like you have, as well... "

Synn paused, "Where is my daughter now... You left her with a human and a what? A half elf?" Synn was trying to understand what exactly had transpired, but much of the situation confused her.

She felt anger rising up inside her again, but she knew that Gaviel, a fellow Elf, would never take a risk with a young dragon... Still, it was hard to imagine why she would ever leave her daughters side...

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Gaviel/Cave Entrance

She remained utterly stone still as the large maw of the dragon approached her as it drew back and shifted into a far more suitable appearance to which she bowed her head lower her hands resting behind her back instead of in front. She knew well how to respect one who was clearly her elder by a few decades...and then some.

Hearing her words she sighed...understanding that reading the mind of someone who was slightly frantic herself wasn't going to be a good way to communicate so she took the necessary time to calm her mental thoughts and straitened her thoughts more into a spear, pointed and poignant.

"You are within your rights to do so, a mother without her daughter only invites the scorn of that mother upon any who dare to challenge her." she said in agreement.

"If what the half elf told me was true, she should be in the cave somewhere, not far at all. Though I distrust their word heavily, Hence the reason I was rushing to this location. The only reason I would dare to leave your daughters side was a force of fifty of the kings men. They were dispatched to...well investigate the disappearance of a convoy...one I think you destroyed. I watched you do it in fact." she said with a subtle nod before continuing.

"I found your daughter with the human...and was doing my best to part the two, but her young curiosity left her there as we deliberated what to do. One way or the other I would have easily given my life for the yearling. But again...I needed to make sure absolutely no human would do her harm...and she was in more danger with the group following." Taking a breath to let this all sink in she started to move.

"But we no longer have any idea where she is...and the only inkling of a location I know of comes from within this cave, surely you can smell it too?" she said moving to the mouth of the cave before giving a nod "you have my word, I will do whatever im capable of to return your child to you." she said before moving inside the cave it self....it may have been an abrupt way to leave...but an understandable one as she wanted no more distance to come between the dragon and it's offspring.

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Synn/Cave Entrance
She took all that in, without reply, besides her following Gaviel as she disappeared into the darkness of the cave... Synn did smell her daughter as she followed the Elf through the dark confines of the rock, and she also smelled the greasy human, and the queer smell of the half elf. But the scent of her daughter, though faint and subtle, was the only one she sought...

Synn felt her weaker human legs move faster as she wove through the dark tunnel. There was only one main path, so it was impossible to get lost, but it was dark, and the further they went, the more damage was evident. Synn kept turning her eyes to the ceiling, where a single fissure ran... The damage from her careless landing.

Before long, Synn saw the end of the tunnel. A dead end... The roof had fallen in, and a large boulder now blocked the better part of the path ahead of them... Only something as small as a cat could wiggle through the gaps left.

Synn felt her heart weigh heavily, and her anger, sadness, and desperation grow as she approached the rock. The fire inside the dragons belly now turned to tears in a womans eyes. Synn finally reached the fallen rock, placing her hands against the cold stone, leaning on it heavily as if her weight could shift it...

"Why... " she felt herself whisper, as her chest tried to heave the remaining breath from her lungs, silently...

Synn felt desperation hit, deep inside her... She glared at the rock as she leaned on it, and directed her anger towards it, as another obstacle in her path, keeping her from her daughter. She began mindlessly calling up her magic, once more... She felt the elemental power collect and transfer to the stone... Light slowly began emanating from beneath her hands... A light red... Then a glowing orange... A blue, then white molten flame, melting away the rock, at first... Then incinerating it altogether as she pressed her hands into the stone... The rock began cracking from rapid heat expansion and falling away from her hands... And what rock didn't crack, melted and fell to the floor in golden liquid pools...

Synn finally felt her hands reach the other side and melt through to air, and she stopped... She immediately felt tired, and drained... She didn't slouch, but she knew the sweat on her face betrayed her physical state.

She brushed her hands and clothes off before turning back to Gaviel, waiting for the younger Elf to resume leading the way...

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Tanis/Forest

"As expected, these bandits didn't pose much of a threat to us at all." Tanis said as he pulled the blade of his sword out of a pile of ash laying on the ground, several more mounds of ash could be seen nearby, a stark contrast to the bloody and mutilated bodies that lay next to them. "Most of them ran when they first caught sight of the dragon, the cowards." He said sighing softly, sheathing his sword at this hip and looking over at Myra.

"But who can blame them? If I were a mere human with naught but a rusty blade to protect me, I'd probably run like hell as well if I saw that beast bearing down on me." Shaking his head in annoyance ever so slightly, he turned to face Kodlak, snickering loudly as his eyes rested on the brute.

"Looks like you were having the time of your life, if they weren't all mindless scumbags I could almost feel sorry for them." Taking a quick glance at the fallen bandits that had been hacked to pieces, his face would suddenly turn serious as he locked eyes with the man.

"So what now? Surely you can't be thinking about waltzing into Harlen with that beast in tow, even with her at your side the two of you would be dead on the spot. So what are your plans now?" As he spoke his gaze would occasionally wander in the direction of the cave that they had exited not long ago, he didn't know why but he was beginning to feel uneasy.

"Whatever it is you plan to do next, I plan to accompany you for time, I'm sure you'd like to know my intentions but that can be found out later, right now I think it'd be best if we made haste to get out of this accursed forest, trust me when I say this..." he would begin moving forwards as he spoke, picking up his pace as he moved past kodlak.

"... something is definitely following us."

End Of Chapter Two