You As A Dragon

[Alexander_Drake]

Alexander

 

After my short break, I decided to head towards the shoreline of the desert, maybe I could find someone who had seen the girl and her Magi dragon there. I figured it would be best to fly, and save my walking strength for later down the line. I got a running start and spread my wings, and pretty soon I was gliding along the retained updrafts of the warm sands. It was pretty, to say the least.

 

As I got further from where I had taken off, I realized that the sky was beginning to lighten. Sunrise was only hours away, and that meant bedtime for me, being a Moonstone and all. For a while, all I could see was sand dunes and sometimes what I presumed to be mirages, until I saw something that caught my attention. There was a blue glow, not unlike my own, that was shining from behind a dune to my left. I turned towards it and began to descend.

 

Lumina

 

Hahnuhadroz was quite annoying in her distaste for chocolate, and so Lumina began to feel like maybe she wasn't such a nice dragon after all. Lumina began to act a bit passive-aggressively towards Hahnuhadroz, eating chocolate contentedly and making it seem like it was just so good. Lumina did hear Hahnuhadroz's request to speak with Lumina's caretaker, but was not quite sure of where exactly I was. Lumina merely said, "Somewhere," and resumed her passive-aggressive chocolate consumption.

[Omen]

Hahnuhadroz

 

Looking down her nose at the hatchling, Hahnuhadroz was sorely tempted to up and leave. It wasn’t her hatchling after all, and therefore not her responsibility. The deeper part of her consciousness scolded her for even considering it, this was a hatchling, not an adult dragon. The Daydream let out an explosive sigh. Her less civilised side tolerated very little snark and the hatchlings behaviour would have sent her into a tizzy had it been an adult dragon. But this wasn’t, so Hahnuhadroz held her temper in check.

 

That her care taker was somewhere, whether the hatchling actually knew or not, meant she did in fact have one. One that if Hahnuhadroz ever met, would get an earful courtesy of her own brand of reprimands. Returning her paws to the icy cold ground, Hahnuhadroz began waltzing towards the edge of the town. “I’m off to a place called ‘Alpine Weyr’, should you wish to join me, I will not decline the company.” Even if the company’s personality leaves a few things to be desired.

 

----

 

Lazuli

 

Tilting her wings upward, Lazuli shifted her body weight backward and adjusted the positioning of her paws to bring her flight to an end. The Moonstone landed on the top of the sandy dune with the grace of an experienced flier, her wings folding firmly against her back. The orb on her tail glowed with the energy the moonlight had given her, lighting up the sand below her in a dazzling display of silvery blue reflections off the finely crushed gemstone that constituted some of the sand. Lazuli strode down the dune with a pace bearing caution, her paws leaving prints in the sand as she moved. The sun was beginning to rise, and the dragon wanted nothing more than to be closer to the town she saw off in the distance. Shelter was far and few between here in the Jehumah, with outposts and towns serving as the bulk of shelter. It was a gamble on its own to determine at a glance if the particular town was friendly to dragons, but with the sun threatening to crest the horizon, Lazuli would take those chances.

 

The Moonstone continued walking slowly, cresting the top of another dune. Her eyes were focused solely on the horizon in an attempt to gauge just how much time she had left before the sands became an unbearably high temperature. Lazuli figured she would have another hour or two at best, before even she would need to hide from the baking heat of the desert. For all its beauty at night, the desert was an equally treacherous terrain to the unexperienced. Between the caravans that moved through despite the heat and the dangerous predators that hunted the heat exhausted, the desert was not a place for a long dragon such as she.

 

So focused was her attention that she did not see the dragon racing towards her from the corner of her peripheral vision. Rather than see the approaching dragon, she heard them as they neared her. Her head whipped around, body contorting to allow for the sudden shift in posture. She couldn’t place the dragon’s breed, but she could deduce at a glance that the dragon was headed her way. At high speed. Lazuli started, fear spiking her into very core, was this dragon going to attack her? She was too young to die! She had only just begun this adventure, why should it have to end? The Moonstone took off in a spray of dirt and sand, transitioning from a standstill to a run. She would have flown off, however her wings were worn out from her extended time in the sky. If the Guardian continued to race her way, Lazuli would take off into the sky even if it risked pulling a muscle.

[Alexander_Drake]

Alexander

 

I saw dust off in the distance, and I swore I saw a dragon as the source of it, but more distressingly, the blue light was indeed a moonstone, female no less. I could tell that whether or not the dust dragon was going to cause her harm, I wanted to help console the moonstone. After all, I was one too, she would most likely see me as a friend. I tucked in my wings a bit and dove down towards the moonstone, circling in front of her before landing next to her, to give her a chance to realize I was there before I approached her. When I did, I also noticed a town over in the distance. But this moonstone was far prettier that any other that I had ever met, including Lumina herself. And so the first thing I did was make a good impression.

 

"Hello. My name is Alexander. But, you can call me Alex. I noticed you seemed to be chased by a Guardian dragon? I could provide a distraction so you can get to that town over there, if you like. Er, not to get off topic, but if you ever see me just stare at you, it's because of your grand beauty. Well, I'm off. One distraction coming up."

 

((Don't worry Skwerl, I can do some diplomacy with your character rather than fight. I'm bad at writing combat anyway.))

[TehUltimateMage]

(((Part two out of three.))

 

I could see the shapes of dragons stalking over more clearly that I have ever had before, and even before I saw them, I smelled them. And they did not smell happy. I gathered strength in my lumbering body and tried to stand up, shaky on my legs like a newborn foal. I needed to move. At least she was decent enough to transform me into a magic-using dragon so I wouldn't be a completely useless lump of flesh. Perhaps she doesn't choose the breed and it just so happens that my disposition made me a Magi? Frankly, I'm more of a Gilded Bloodscale (they are formidable chess opponents).

 

I backed up. Maybe I could wriggle back into my cave. Quaksh was still growing so it might be a tight fit for me assuming I was of average size, but what option did I have?

 

No option, apparently. A sleek shape made of black scales glided over my head, cutting off my means of escape. The black dragon's glowing green eyes watched my every movement as more dark-scaled dragons arrived, forming a circle of tooth, claw, and fire around me.

 

"I would suggest that you turn around and face your challenger, stranger. Or we'll have to chase you out by force," snorted a telepathic voice filled with disdain. I am no stranger to these lands! With a deep growl, I whipped around with a claw swipe to try to get the Black dragon. I wasn't used to having my weight on my hand -- paws, I reminded myself -- so the movement was slow and clumsy and allowed plenty of time for the dragon to move out of reach.

 

The black dragon lowered itself into a crouch, anticipating my next move. He must have been thinking how much of a loser this challenger was, and I was ready to make him eat his thoughts. I drew on the mana in the air and in my body and focused. A stream of fire formed in front of me, wriggling like a serpent as it attempted to keep the Black dragon and his long claws away. However, with wind force he sliced through the flames and blew me backwards into the crater wall. Without me sustaining it, my wall of fire vanished. I forgot that Blacks were capable of magic.

 

He padded over, placing a paw over my exposed throat. "Oi. I happen to rule this segment of the volcanoes now, since the last owner has slacked off. And I hate troublemakers." There was a strange, rhythmic sound coming from the dragons around us. Laughter?! I'll teach them to laugh at me! I struggled to get up but the dragon tightened his grip.

 

With an ear-shattering shriek, a wyvern cloaked in blue flames descended from the sky, striking down the Black dragon with its talons. Circling one more time, it landed with a heavy thump in front of me. Most of the dragons took a step back, seeing the Hellfire's size, and some even fled. I, personally, thought I was a goner before I saw a familiar Magi land gracefully by its side. "What do you think you're doing? Back into the cave!" Quaksh shouted to me. Taking advantage of Pewer's surprise appearance, I rushed into the tunnel, my flank brushing uncomfortably against the stone. It was with relief that I reached the inner chamber, although everything now seemed so small. I had to take care that I wouldn't break all my hard work with a careless sweep of my tail. When my Magi dragon appeared from the tunnel, the room became much more crowded that I ever thought it would be.

 

"Man, today was wild," Quaksh sighed, his flank heaving. He might have flown as fast as he could to get reinforcements. "I sealed the opening with earth and told Pewer to retreat, but I am not certain that she will leave before they do. All we can do now is wait out the storm." A Pause. "Did you forget how to speak, or did I get the wrong dragon? You smell similar, so I assumed…"

 

I didn't know how to communicate telepathically, but my dragon brain probably did. And it wouldn't be too hard for a mage, would it? "I'm fine," I hissed. Quaksh's eyes seemed to light up, and I figured the attempt was successful. "I underestimated you, I admit. Good thinking."

 

"Wow. That lady must have hit you pretty hard if you are praising me for once."

 

"Shut up!" I stuck out my tongue, a distinctly human gesture on a non-human dragon.

 

A laugh echoed through my head. "Never. I regret to say that they knocked me out as well, so I have no idea of their whereabouts."

 

"That's it, I take back that praise." I rose to my feet again, nearly knocking over my desk. "Tomorrow morning, I'm going to look for her stupid face." I didn't even know what her face looked like, but that was just a figure of speech.

 

Quaksh padded over to his usual sleeping corner and curled up, facing away from me. "Once you learn how to fly."

Edited January 11, 2015 by TehUltimateMage

[Alexander_Drake]

Irupi

 

Irupi was lounging around on a big ol' cloud, munching on some chocolate. He glanced over the edge towards his favorite town, and saw a pair of dragons down next to the confectionery. He flopped over onto his paws, and then spread his wings and glided from cloud to cloud until he got close to the mountainside, which he glided to as well. He then proceeded to run down the mountainside towards the town, and was sorely out of breath by the time he got there.

 

In case you couldn't tell yet, Irupi is a very fat Daydream dragon who eats solely chocolate.

 

When Irupi approached the two dragons, he noticed a few things. One, they were both female. Two, one was also a Daydream. Three, the other dragon, a Moonstone, was eating chocolate.

 

Irupi introduced himself in the most suave way he knew to the female Daydream, and merely said, 'hi,' to the Moonstone.

 

Lumina

 

Lumina caught a case of 'love at first sight' syndrome with Irupi. He was the exact kind of dragon she could get along with. She could tell because of the chocolate on his muzzle, as well as his case of obesity, no doubt a chocolate-induced one. She sighed, and offered some chocolate to the Daydream dragon. Lumina also gave a quick laugh at Hahnuhadroz, because she would never accept such a chocolate-obsessed 'freak', as Hahnuhadroz would put it.

[Omen]

((Irupi sounds like a character, I like him. ))

 

Hahnuhadroz

 

Hahnuhadroz paused, hearing the approach of a dragon, one that wasn’t the hatchling if the suddenly heavier footsteps were any to go by. The Dreamweaver turned her head, lilac fur covering her eye partially in a look that would be considered inquisitive if her eye wasn’t mostly hidden. Upon sighting what she thought was another Daydream, Hahnuhadroz visibly recoiled a chocked gasp of disgust erupting from her maw. The rest of her followed, her body contorting to face the duo. The mere sight of the Daydream was an affront to her senses, the chocolate covered mouth being the sole reason for her immediate judgement, never mind that his greeting made her want to gag in revulsion.

 

The female lifted her paw, covering her eyes in an over exaggerated motion. “By the clouds! I think I am having a nightmare. I have flown too far and long, clearly my exhaustion is giving me these horrible, horrible visions. Oh whatever will I do!” The Daydream wavered on her feet, her limbs feeling weakened. Lowering to lay on the ground, Hahnuhadroz was in such a state of distress that she did not even register the sloshed ice below her, muddying her fur.

 

She moved to lay on her back, her forepaws covering her eyes. “I will end the career of that messenger pygmy, he did not warn me of this… this possbility!” Hahnuhadroz shifted her wings, using them to cover her head as well as if it would remove the image from her mind. ‘Surely this dragon has more respect for his appearance than to wander around with his maw covered in chocolate!’ The dragon thought as she groaned, trying her hardest to think of white fluffy clouds, the spotless fur of her associates and the cleanliness of the cavern she called home.

[skwerl56767]

I was still running toward the blue glow, but after peering closely at it, I not only noticed an additional blue glow dropping from the skies toward it, but I also saw it faintly bobbing and getting smaller.

Whatever it was, it was running from me! Well... that showed it was something alive, at least.

 

I stopped bounding and running like a maniac toward it, slowing down to appear less startling. I kept glancing to the horizon though, getting nervous. I didn't want to lose those glows... but there's no telling when the sun will rise and erase all of my efforts.

 

I began to wonder about those glows though... if they were alive, that meant they were capable of hurting me, which meant they might be dangerous. The Sand Eels some of our hunters caught glowed at night specifically to attract prey... At this, I slowed down quite a bit, down to an indecisive trot. For once, my confidence in fighting began to leave.

If they're dragons... I pondered. Then they could easily overpower me simply because I don't know what am I'm doing. And then what? You'll be dead before sunrise! Before you even have the chance to fully enjoy being a dragon! I sniffed. Just don't be stupid. I grumbled to myself. You'll be fine. That pink dragon was nice enough; just don't provoke those glows, unless they attack you first.

 

I let my trot fall back down to more of a creep, curiosity now entering the question. I should at least get a nice view of these... creatures... before I go introducing myself. They could be wisps, or they could be over-sized Sand Eels!... Do either of those even exist?

 

Pushing my wonder out of my mind, I approached the now much-closer glows cautiously, not slinking around like a lizard, but much quieter so the only sounds were my breathing and the crunch of the sands beneath my paws. As I approached, I began to see large, blue figures attached to the glows: they looked like dragons too. They were a tad smaller than me, but I knew from my training that size was never a good way to judge an opponent.

 

I stopped once I felt I was close enough, sitting at the top of a dune, to observe them a little while. The larger glow, which was attached to the darker dragon's tail tip, landed next to the lighter one. They acted like they were talking, but I wasn't close enough to understand anything...

Oh wait, telepathy, I get it now. I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. You could have at least remembered the most important thing about being a dragon! Though I stopped when I saw the dark blue dragon turn to me, the glow-attached to its tail-waving in the air cautiously. Our gazes locked.

 

It's a little hard to miss a massive blue dragon, sitting on a hill and staring at you, only a couple tens of meters away. I flinched, feeling stupid again, but it was too late to do anything now.

I sunk my claws into the sand, more nervous now than anything else. What would it do? What should I do??

[Esko]

I looked for Alex or Omen everywhere. I shouted out with telepathy. "Hello? Alex? Omen? Is this public?" I saw dragons give me dirty looks. I guess so . even though it was night, I felt no urge to sleep. "ALEX?!" I was sure that could be heard for miles around. I rushed past all the stares, climbed onto a building, then took flight. I heard a creek, then a boom. I looked behind me and saw the building that I used as a launch pad cave in. It happened to be the one where I argued with the man who sold small expensive steaks. I saw two glows ahead, and then felt relived to see it. I heard yelling, then looked behind and saw humans yelling as dragons accidentally knocked into buildings. Or....what?

There was a horde of Magi dragons with riders starting to knock down buildings. Only a few, but enough to stir up the humans. I heard shouts like:

"Dragons are ruining our town!"

"They ruin our buildings! "

"They should not be welcome!"

Humans shouted in agreement, then started to grab spears and poke the dragons out of the town. A few idiot dragons tried to fight, but most tried to flee. I got close to a rider sitting on his magi and plucked the rider off the dragon, stuffing their mouth with a wad of cloth. I rushed to find Alex, seeing that the two moonstones I saw were strangers, not Alex. I forgot to find Omen, as I rushed, not looking back.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Esko_the_Wolf

[Pyrowings]

The rising sun had always brough with it hope, joy, knowing that whatever was before is now past, and new beginnings. To Basii, it also meant more ladies to meet and a nice experience with a particular sunrise, shame that she had settled down with someone else now. Although, he mused to himself, in the desert, it probably meant what his skin color represented: death. Still, he was safe here in this lovely oasis which was absolutely innundated with light mana if one knew where to look, particularly at night. And of course, that isn't even touching the subject of the stars at night, particularly after he learned a few constellations, like the singing snake and the frightened dragon, or the great hero Vanagen. Sure, he found out that it was near-impossible to find out where they really are without practice and knowledge, but it was fun nevertheless, especially since that was how he wooed that lovely Royal Blue, and likely countless more, but Basii couldn't remember any from the top of his head. Under the canopy of leaves, he stepped lightly across the undergrowth, careful to not trod on even a single insect, towards a black tea who was beginning to stir in the warming air. All was well and serene.

 

"BASII!"

 

Not anymore. Basii looked up in alarm and the black tea suddenly snapped awake, eyes scanning the skies. A midnight-colored shadow descended, bringing with it the smell of ozone and low crackling sounds, silencing the rest of the oasis. A thunder dragon glared intently at Basii, and the black tea gasped as she looked between the two before running away. Basii called to her, but the black tea only ran faster.

 

"Why did you have to go scare her off like that? Or did you finally decide to ditch that--

 

"Basii. I will NOT be having with any of your nonsense today! Now tell me, WHERE DID SHINING WAVES GO?! I KNOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT!" Empyreal roared and the smell intensified, lightning flashing off her unceasingly. Basii tried to retain a calm face as he searched his mind for an answer, as he knew that a simple "I didn't do anything" wouldn't suffice when Empyreal was in her "overprotective mother/mate mode," as Shining Waves had called it.

 

"But why me? Plus, how are you so admament that it was humble me, a white dragon, who did whatever it was when I wasn't scared or flying off when you annonced yourself? If I had done something to you, I had tasted your lightning once already, I would not be so cloudminded to try my luck with your awe-inspiring power again," It was the best he could come up with on such short notice, though it should suffice. Hopefully.

 

"Why..." Empyreal blinked slowly and the lightning around her momentarily slowed. "I remember you coming for me when I was mature, wooing me to be your mate. As I have seen you are still trying to do," she noted dryly. "And even then, after I took Shining Waves as my mate, you still came often, each time sounding more desperate than the last."

 

Ah. In hindsight, wooing a thunder dragon with a temper whenever he was too sorely rejected may not have been the brightest of ideas.

 

"As such, what do you have to say for yourself? I have reason enough to assume that SOMETHING occured with you and Shining Waves three months ago."

 

"Three... Months?" Basii thought back. Yes, he was in the desert for a while, but that was... Hmm, he had forgotten about that mousey nebula. "Oh, dear..."

She had said that she never wanted to see him ever again and flew off, leaving him with an egg that was not his. In hindsight, that mousey demeanor was likely a ruse, though that lonely feeling he got from her probably wasn't. "I'm so very sorry about how undeserving this news would be for you, and that indeed, I should have done something akin to what you said, but I was with a nebula at that time.

 

"..." Empyreal stared at him without blinking with an expression of suspsion that he was all too familiar with, though it mainly came up when saying that no, he had not and never will take up another female. Oh, the lies he had told! Oh, how they did not help his case any when those women had found out!

 

"So, exalted thunder, you see that I have an alibi for what you think was an heinous act by me! But oh--

 

"Cut the frills," Empyreal snapped. "Then what did you do to my egg?"

 

"....Egg? What egg? You had an egg? When?" Basii asked with a blank expression.

 

"I've had plenty," Empyreal growled, then fixed him with that look again, except she was more curious then trying to thinly-veil her anger. "That look is genuine."

 

"Uhh..... Yeah.... Erm! I mean, of course my... My... Fine. What do you ask of me now?"

 

"Save the language for your next victim and stop toying with your food. You know what I want."

 

((Should I have them meet up with everyone else?))

[Alexander_Drake]

Irupi/Lumina

 

Irupi merely stared, blankly, at the female Daydream dragon's overreaction. Irupi glanced down, and noticed some chocolate on his muzzle, which he licked off. The female Moonstone Dragon was far kinder, offering the one substance that would instantly guarantee a strong friendship. Chocolate. But this was no ordinary chocolate. No, as soon as Irupi began to chew on it, caramel revealed itself to his tongue, and it sent Irupi into a state of bliss. He chewed on the chocolate contentedly while the female Moonstone continued to offer him more chocolate, which Irupi accepted gratefully.

 

After about ten minutes of stuffing his face with chocolate, Irupi's friendship was well and truly permanent with this moonstone. Irupi let out a formidable belch, and decided that the moonstone was his new best friend. He told her, "Finally, someone who understands the sheer bliss of eating chocolate. I officially think we are best friends at this point, what do you think?"

 

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

 

Lumina was feeling giddy at the fact that the male Daydream dragon was so fond of chocolate, and gladly agreed upon their friendship. The Daydream introduced himself as Irupi, and boy was he pretty, at least by Lumina's standards. Lumina told her name to Irupi, because she had plum forgot to do that sooner. Lumina noticed that while Irupi's lovely blue fur was a bit unkempt, it was completely devoid of chocolate or other mess.

 

 

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

 

Irupi was really happy that Lumina liked him, and not only that, but the beautiful girl thought he was good looking! Not even another Daydream dragon had ever said that of him, and here was a Moonstone saying it. Irupi looked over at the female Daydream who was still having a fit, and said, "Your fur is filthy. Get outta here," knowing full well that the Daydream would become either terrified, enraged, or completely depressed. If she became enraged, Irupi's massive bulk would keep him safe from any impacts that the frail female would attempt to sling at him, and he knew that such a female wouldn't dare try to bite him, as it would be so unladylike.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Alexander_Drake

[Omen]

((So I was working on a section for Hahnuhadroz but then I was asked to go to the store so it's currently unfinished. Expect it when I get back, I might write a second part for Lazuli if both Alexander and skwerl56767 reply. After that, I've gotta get stuck into my coursework for today, playing catch up is horrible. Q-Q))

 

Lazuli

 

Startled by the sudden appearance of another dragon, Lazuli leaped backwards, forepaws flinging to the air to defend herself. Her tail flailed about, distress clear as the two moons in the sky above. The Moonstone was terrified these two were working together, she would be easy prey for a duo of coordinated predators. That the second dragon was also a Moonstone did little to reassure her, dragons of all sorts could be just as mean and cunning as the more aggressive species, some she knew in the courts could end your social life with as little as a whispered lie. Her actual life was on the line here, not some long abandoned noble heritage; as such, the female reacted the only way she knew how, with caution.

 

Lazuli backed up, her paws depressing the sand beneath her as she moved. The other dragon then spoke, startling another, more controlled step backwards. This Alexander as he had introduced himself, seemed friendly enough, with his dark blue feathers and glowing tail orb. He came across just like any of the other male Moonstones she once resided with, if a little more bold with his compliments. Relief settled in the pit of her belly when he told her that he could provide a distraction, maybe they weren’t teaming up to attack her after all. Lazuli’s tail stopped flailing wildly, but she was coiled to dash away and into flight at a moment’s notice if the situation called for it, exhausted or not. While this new dragon was a smooth operator, she’d had enough experience in the courts to be wary of suave con artists dragons, thus Lazuli didn’t trust him.

 

Her attention shifted to the Guardian, who was no longer running toward her, rather they were sitting atop a dune some several tens of metres away. Lazuli looked from the Moonstone to the Guardian, head a whirl with possibilities. To her knowledge, her own Moonstone acquaintances used words for weapons and not their bodies, this other dragon, the one on the dune, looked as if they could tear her own kind asunder with a hardened look. For all the male Moonstones bravado, Lazuli did not have the confidence that he could defeat the Guardian in battle.

 

She wasn’t sure if the idea to intervene was a good one, however the female dragon did not want to see Alexander get hurt in her name. She was tired of people defending her, especially when she had merits of her own that might stop a battle from ever occurring. You weren’t raised in a house of glass without learning how not to throw stones, after all. Lazuli dashed after the male Moonstone, her thoughts zipping about in her mind. She hadn’t really thought it through, what would she do to stop a fight? The Guardian would no doubt overpower her in an instant!

 

“Stop!” Lazuli shouted telepathically, her frightened tone evident to anyone that could recognise fear. “Don’t fight!” The dragon didn’t know if they were going to fight, maybe she misinterpreted the Moonstone’s idea for a distraction. Regardless, Lazuli did not want to see a conflict occur before her very eyes if she could help it, she’d seen enough of that growing up.

[skwerl56767]

((Yay, Pi's in! Nice intro.))

 

The lighter colored dragon paused in her fleeing, then started running back. I was surprised, and it took me a while to realize that the lighter-colored dragon-no doubt a female-was speaking. I was too busy going over battle-tactics in my mind in case a fight broke out. But she was saying not to fight. Perhaps she knew this other dragon.

I studied the two closely; unintentionally glaring due to the horns framing my angular head, but I wasn't aware of that.

 

As far as I knew, they didn't intend to harm me. I relaxed, shaking my claws from the sand. My tail swished, still a little uneasy, but I jumped down from me position on the hill and walked closer to show some trust.

 

" I am Blade." I said, a little hesitant-it wasn't my human name, at least. " Who... and what... are you? And why do your tails glow?" I glanced at the female, and saw she was shaking in fear. I began to feel a little bad; the poor thing was terrified! The pink dragon said I was a Guardian... were Guardians so frightening as to make other dragons shake in their scales?

Well, at least it was an efficient deterrent against enemies. But... I'm not a Terror dragon! I thought, scolding myself. I'm a Guardian! And I might as well act like one!

 

I didn't get too close to the female dragon lest I spook her further, but I did tap her reassuringly with a wing-tip. " I won't attack, unless you do." I also aimed this at the darker dragon, who didn't seem half as alarmed. Perhaps he has seen this before. " So, aside from my first question, what are you doing out here? I've never seen your kind before." At least, I couldn't remember any pretty blue dragons with glowing tails going into the pit...

Edited January 13, 2015 by skwerl56767

[Alexander_Drake]

Alexander

 

Well, it was certainly interesting to meet a Guardian dragon who seemed to be just a dragon. She hadn't claimed to be a human, at least. I introduced myself, and not wanting to seem weird to the females in my presence, did not mention my once human existence.

[Omen]

Hahnuhadroz

 

The Daydream slowly recovered from the distress of seeing so much filth, her paws returning to the ground and her body shifting to an upright position. She sent the other Daydream a loaded glare, bothered by his unexpected interruption. Only she was permitted to interrupt after all, she was the superior one in both appearance and personality. The dragon rested her head on her paws, sulking at the sudden evaporation of attention being directed her way. She liked being the centre of attention, it meant people were in awe of her. At least, that’s what she thought.

 

Hahnuhadroz smoothed her fur, beginning to groom herself as the other two conversed privately. It wasn’t until she heard the word filthy did she realise she was being addressed by the other, clearly inferior Daydream. Immediately offended at the notion that her fur was filthy, Hahnuhadroz cast a cursory glance at her body, lifting her paws and contorting her wings to survey for grime. Alarm spiked through her core as she noticed her tail covered in sloshed ice and dirt, with a sprinkling of crushed leaves from before the snow last snowfall.

 

Jumping to a stand, Hahnuhadroz whipped her tail to her forepaws, grabbing onto it with precision. The Daydream frantically removed the chunks on snow, dirt and leaves, her eyes focused entirely on her tail. She ignored the others, no longer interested in them for they showed her no interest except to insult. It was a painstaking process, without opposable thumbs like those strange humans had, grasping the smaller chunks of muck required a bit of dexterity. The outside world closed in on her, and until her tail was clear of debris, nothing else mattered.

 

It took her the better part of ten minutes to remove the last speck of dirt, to which Hahnuhadroz wiped her paws in the snow. She cast one offended glance toward the other Daydream before trotting off on her own, in the opposite direction of the two dragons. It made her fur itch to consider hanging around any longer, and since the hatchling was no longer alone, Hahnuhadroz no longer cared. Upon reaching a distance away from the duo, Hahnuhadroz began looking for somewhere clean to bunker down and rest.

 

----

 

Lazuli

 

Approaching the Guardian with a pace that yelled wariness, Lazuli almost felt safe enough to relax, her wings fitting against her back now that she was of the impression that she wouldn’t need to take off. This confidence that she wasn’t going to be harmed remained as she came to a stop, lowering herself to rest on her haunches in a sitting position. As a cautionary measure, Lazuli began examine the dragon, never once lingering in one spot lest the other dragon think she was planning to attack. The first thing that came to mind upon inspecting the dragon was that she had never once seen such a species, and that their tail appeared remarkably dark, she would almost say it was black. Was that normal for that species? At any rate, Lazuli thought the shield like shape would be useful to gain heat from the sun like her tail orb gained energy from the moons.

 

When the dragon began speaking, Lazuli snapped forward a little, not expecting anyone to talk so suddenly. However, the introduction was reassuring, that is, until she spotted the glare of the Guardian. Fear rose to the forefront of her mind again, her body beginning to shake and tremor as a result. Lazuli was unsure if the larger and no doubt stronger Guardian would lash out at her without a moment’s notice. It wouldn’t be proper of course, although Lazuli did not know of what heritage this Guardian sported, nor did she know if the dragon was unscrupulous. Pulling her wings down around her, Lazuli used them as a shelter to protect her from the outside world.

 

Listening nonetheless, it confused Lazuli that this dragon did not know what she was, yet by being in the desert, at night no less, they should have encountered others. That notion sat uncomfortably on her mind, yet it wasn’t really any of her business and thus she pushed it to the side, there were more important things to focus on. Lazuli’s self imposed detachment from the conversation was then interrupted by another wing touching her own, the action startled Lazuli into another state of insecurity. Coming to the conclusion that getting some distance from the others, the dragon shuffled backwards, giving herself some much needed breathing space. While the Guardian dragon’s continued speech calmed her somewhat, a statement of not attacking was something she could get behind, and would encourage over a possible duel.

 

Filing the names of the two away for later recollection, Lazuli prepared her own introduction, and also hoped to answer the question of the larger dragon. It would make no sense to lie to them after all, if they found out she would be squashed without a second thought, declaration of peace or not. “I am Lazuli.” She left out her surname, her tone nervous. Lazuli’s upper class manner of speech would be clear as day to any dragon that was familiar with the court. She dearly hoped neither of these dragons were, they might try to drag her back to that life. “I,” she looked to the Moonstone named Alexander briefly, noticing that his darker feathers were rather striking, “we are Moonstones. Our tail orbs gather energy from the moons and light the sands of this desert expanse. It attracts all manner of predators, and as you may well have noticed, it is like a beacon in the darkness of night.” She lifted her tail to her forepaws as she spoke, fidgeting with it absent-mindedly.

 

Lazuli wasn’t too comfortable with answering the second question, she herself didn’t really know. The idea was to go on an adventure spanning the length and breadth of Galsreim, and perhaps beyond. If her Moonstone compatriots knew, they’d be rolling in their dens at the idea of one of theirs roughing it out in the wilderness. It was nothing like the Sandstone Pyramid she once called home. Still, Lazuli felt obliged to answer the seemingly innocent question, especially as she did not wish to be coerced into answering. “I am on a journey of discovery, as for Alexander” Lazuli cast another glance toward the male Moonstone, an unreadable expression forming on her features. “I’ve never seen this dragon before, and so cannot answer for him.” Lazuli hoped this response would suffice, by now her body had relaxed and she was feeling a little more confident in the presence of two strangers.

[Alexander_Drake]

Alexander

 

Lazuli seemed like quite a nice girl, and also rather skittish, so I inched a bit closer and put my wing over her back. Turning my head towards the Guardian dragon Blade, I said, "Thank you for not attacking us. Actually, it makes plenty of sense. Your kind protects the innocent and serves justice to those who commit crimes. Say, you both seem kind of hungry. I have some money to pay for food, we can go check out that town over there." I turned my head towards the town in question, then back to Lazuli. "You seem like a nice Moonstone. Only two other Moonstones that I trust, I guess it's three now. I have plenty of money, you can get whatever you want to eat, and I will pay. You too, Blade. Funny, you have a shield for a tail, yet your name is the word for a sword. Oh well, not a big deal."

 

Irupi

 

Irupi giggled a bit at the female Daydream's frenzied cleanup of her tail, and decided to get on her nerves a bit more. He scooped some slush onto his paw, and then flicked it at her, making her fur become all wet and cold. ((Edit: Go long, Irupi!))

Edited January 13, 2015 by Alexander_Drake

[skwerl56767]

I laughed, feeling the tension in the air slip away. So this male Moonstone, Alexander, wasn't related to the female at all. Yet he seemed to really like her; I guess I won't get in their way. The female Lazuli was still very skittish, so I didn't get too close to her for comfort purposes. Though, I perked up at the mention of food. I had been running the entire night, and my paws needed rest; I could use a full belly with that!

 

" Town, huh?" I questioned. Looking up, I did see a row of lights, growing dimmer by the minute, laying across the horizon. " If they're friendly, I'll be happy to come along. I could use a nice, big, hunk of ham." And since I'm a dragon, I'll have an excuse to eat MORE ham! Nothing could go wrong with that! I thought with amusement. I've always wanted to eat all the ham I wished, but being an apprentice means you get rations; that is, you don't decide what you get to eat!

Ugh... not sure I could live another day eating old bread and drinking raw broth.

 

Alexander seemed very kind, and Lazuli was just timid, so I quickly gained trust for both of them. Lazuli answering my questions was nice too, though she was vague about their goal. Well... my only goal was to go to the volcanoes, but that can be put aside for now. This "journey of discover" sounded pretty intriguing.

 

I let Alex lead the way to the town, going at an easy pace, but not stopping because I know my exhaustion will take over any desires to keep walking. I didn't intend to make small talk, but I did find myself musing along the way.

" Moonstones, huh? It fits." And now it makes sense why I felt bad for frightening Lazuli, being a Guardian and all. I added to myself. " Not sure what my tail is used for... Maybe it really is a shield." I swished it into my field of view, looking at the shiny black, shield-like object, but was distracted by something at my peripheral. It kept moving away every time I tried to look at it, so frustrated, I clapped my paws to my head, feeling around. Ah, horns! So those were its tips I was seeing? But... why did the one look broken...?

 

" Hey Alex-mind if I call you that?" I came up to him, still keeping a good distance between Lazuli and I for respect. " Uh, weird question, is the tip of my right horn cracked? I can see its tip, but it looks pretty beat up..."

Edited January 14, 2015 by skwerl56767

[Alexander_Drake]

Alexander

 

Unfortunately, Blade's horn was indeed broken, about an inch had chipped off at the tip from what I could tell. Not one to dwell on spilt milk, or in this case broken horns, I continued on towards the town, making sure Lazuli wasn't left behind.

[skwerl56767]

I was a bit surprised at this. How did that happen? Surely I didn't turn into a dragon with impaired horns... Oh wait. I thought. Probably when I flew into that wall... yeah, that would have done it. I remembered the odd cracking sound from when the bricks tumbled down around me. Though, my bones and scales had to be pretty tough, if all that did was chip the tip of a horn a little.

 

The said tip was barely attached, and though to say I wouldn't be proud of a few scars would be an outright lie, I didn't flick it right off either. I figured I would keep it there-it might as well serve its purpose before it separates from its owner. Instead, I kept my eyes on the town ahead, thinking. It would definitely be a new experience for me, venturing into a town that was friendly to dragons... or in this case, walk into a town as a dragon.

[Alexander_Drake]

((Lazuli needs some narration before I feel comfortable dragging her into town.))

[Omen]

Omen

 

The sound of a human’s voice woke me from my slumber, my eyes cracking open slowly as I took in the sight of my surroundings. I had fallen asleep behind some random barn near an equally random town, the smell of horses permeating my nostrils in a rather unpleasant manner. I twitched my nose, rising to my full height of one and a half metres. Or so I thought. The ground was remarkably further away from my head than what I recalled, and then it dawned on me. It wasn’t a dream that I had been transformed to a dragon, not even a sliver of a dream. It was all real.

 

I sighed explosively, thoroughly fed up with being a dragon. My stomach rumbled in agreement, it required far more food than I could ever eat in one sitting let alone a week as a human. Why was I turned into a dragon again? Oh right, that evil girl. I sat on my haunches, eyes locked on some distant sand dune to brood at the predicament I was in. I didn’t even notice the sun rising slowly but surely, so focused on that stupid sand dune was I. In my mind I went over how I would repay this girl for her unwelcomed magic tricks. Probably by yelling at her, that always made me feel better.

 

Another human talking drew me from my reverie, presumably a traveller seeking refuge in the town. I couldn’t really understand what they were saying, and frankly it wasn’t too high on my list of interests to try and listen. However, I did notice that the horses weren’t nattering like they were when I came to the barn the night before. Were they even there still? I suppose it didn’t matter. Dragons don’t ride horses, they eat them. I sighed, yet again, I was thinking about food. I really needed to find something to eat, preferably before I grabbed the nearest human and took a bite. That would cause widespread mayhem, not to mention a host of pitchforks and torches to be directed toward me. I had my fair share of instances where villagers chased me with pitchforks and torches as a human, I didn’t need more.

 

Dragging my sorry rear from the ground I then realised I hadn’t seen hide nor scale of Esko or Alexander for several hours, to say the least. Great. The only people who knew the way out of a room with one entrance had left me here, in some strange town to fend for myself! I started walking toward the town, ignoring the surprised shouts of the humans that had taken up residence in the barn. I didn’t feel like explaining my actions to anyone at the moment, let alone humans who had disturbed my well needed sleep. Inconsiderate, the lot of them!

 

----

 

Lazuli

 

Lazuli was beginning to like Blade, even if the dragon appeared intimidating and likely to break her in half with a hardened look. Still, it sure beat being alone and at risk of being attacked by less savoury types, dragon and human alike. Lazuli hadn’t been travelling in the desert for long, only a few days by her reckoning, taking refuge in abandoned outposts and even at an oasis once. It was an enlightening adventure to be sure, but she didn’t know what she’d do after reaching the town. Stay with these dragons? They behaved a little strange, although Lazuli couldn’t place why. She didn’t much interact with her own kind, unless it was absolutely required. That’s why she left the courts, it was straining on her soul and mind to act with such pompous self entitlement. Not to mention she couldn’t lie half as well as she needed to in order to survive the hidden daggers and thinly veiled threats from other dragons of noble descent.

 

Alexander’s sudden closeness was unexpected, so much so that Lazuli felt crowded. She wasn’t sure if she liked being hugged, nobody had ever done that to her before. Did dragons hug? Lazuli recalled seeing dragons fighting, brawling, but never hugging. Maybe it was a private action, done only to their partners or family. Lazuli’s face heated up as she thought about that, and shook her head to rid her of that strange feeling. For now, Lazuli decided she didn’t fully trust Alexander. It was one thing to be friendly and accepting of her, but entirely another to overstep the line she had figuratively drawn in the sand by giving herself some space.

 

So when the group began to travel toward the town, Lazuli dawdled, her feet leaving imprints in the sand as she walked. Her tail orb no longer lit up the ground surface quite as well, evident by the rising sun doing on the horizon. She didn’t make small talk as they moved, she had never been one for discussions and gossip at court, and she wanted to leave that all behind her. Maybe Lazuli decided, maybe she would start talking more often, but only if she felt comfortable. The dragon had her reasons, as pathetic as they were, for wanting to have her space.

 

----

 

Hahnuhadroz

 

Sloshed snow hit her square on the flank, the dirty almost frozen liquid running down her side in a chilly trail. Hahnuhadroz saw red at the action, her nerves thoroughly fed up with dealing with these uncultured dragons. Rather than approach the other Daydream and give him a well deserved what for, Hahnuhadroz took off into the sky, flying as high as her body could go before the thin air sent her tumbling back to the surface again. She found the nearest fluffy white cloud to land on, throwing herself upon its plumes with as much force as possible, without sending her through it. The dragon was sulking, throwing pointed words to the skies between bouts of hurried cleaning to ensure the ice water didn’t freeze onto her fur.

 

“What an oaf! Throwing snow at a lady, I’ll show that buffoon if I ever see him again! He won’t have a standing among civilised citizens of Galsreim, I’ll make sure of that!” Hahnuhadroz regretted approaching the little Moonstone, next time she would continue on her own way without bothering to interact with dragons sitting in the snow eating chocolate. Surely there was something wrong with them if they liked chocolate so much, but it wasn’t that habit that bothered Hahnuhadroz so much, it was the sitting on dirt and not wiping their mouths.

 

Hahnuhadroz was raised to be courteous and respectful, to always wipe her mouth after eating so not to attract flies. Such a thing must be a rarity these she thought, sighing at the notion of having to interact with other dragons as soon as she arrived at the Alpine Weyr. She didn’t much like the thought of staying in the snowy lands for much longer, but she was supposedly needed here if that Crimson Flare pygmy was really carrying an urgent message and not just messing with her.

[Alexander_Drake]

Alexander

 

After Lazuli began dawdling behind, I waited for her, but didn't come as close as before, though I did tell her, "I'm sorry if I got too close to you, Lazuli. I just really, truly, think you're pretty. I promise. I can guess that you're a more secluded kind of girl, with how little you speak. That's ok though, sometimes I don't either. Say, have you ever tried chocolate? It tastes sweet, and I like it. It may not be your cup of tea, though."

 

I looked over at Blade before telling Lazuli, "Don't mind her. Guardian dragons can be a bit high-strung from all the, well, guarding they do. Its in their nature. Hold on, I want to check something. I have a strange feeling about her, and it's not the dark scales."

 

I sped up my pace to catch up with Blade, and asked her, "So how did you break that horn anyway? It seems unlikely that any normal Guardian dragon would be either clumsy or unguarded enough to let that happen. Aha, I'm so funny. But one other thing, what's your favorite food? I have several gold coins to spend, and about forty silvers, too. you can pig out all you like."

 

Irupi/Lumina

 

Seeing the female Daydream go flying off in a fit sent both Lumina and Irupi into a giggle fit, and Irupi fell over, slightly shaking the ground with his hefty bulk. Lumina laughed harder at that, until both of them were out of breath on the ground.

 

Irupi's stomach rumbled again, and Lumina said, "Already? But you just ate!"

 

To which Irupi responded, "Yep. I'm afraid that's the way I work."

 

Lumina began to feed Irupi more chocolate, and also ate quite a bit herself. After a little bit, Lumina was stuffed full, as was Irupi. Both decided to stick around town for a bit, have another helping of chocolate, and then return to the Alpine Weyr.

[skwerl56767]

At first I just stared at Alex, as he began speaking to me. For the most part, I was tuning out what he was saying during the journey, since he was mostly addressing Lazuli. After a while though he backed up so he was walking parallel to me.

And then he asked me how the tip of my horn broke.

" Erm, my horn?" I paused awkwardly. " Well..." I became more nervous, has he had a good point; Guardians don't sound like big hefty beasts that go crashing into stuff... like I did. A dragon like that could be best described as a Berserker, or Brute.

But I knew my morals too. I couldn't just lie to him.

 

" Well..." I repeated. " I crashed into a brick wall." There was a brief silence of discomfort before I blurted the rest out. " I wasn't fighting another dragon or anything. My city doesn't permit live dragons to-oh crap. I mean, er, uh... " I stopped in frustration at my slip-up, pawing at the ground. " I... wasn't a dragon... previously... "

The mighty Guardian was once a feeble human! My conscious mocked. I refrained from snapping at the air, like it was a stubborn fly. I didn't need Alex to think I was any crazier than I appeared.

 

As if to try and change the odd topic of me somehow turning into a dragon, I spoke up again. " So, if this village has any pigs, I'd love some ham; like, a lot of it."

[Alexander_Drake]

Alexander

 

"Aha! I knew it. You were a human. Funnily enough, there's about ten others like you. Not guardian dragons, but all kinds. Even me. I used to live in the mountains way away from here. Thing is, this girl and a Magi dragon, a dragon capable of extremely powerful magic, turned this group of humans into dragons, mostly ones they were near. Were you by chance in possession of an egg prior to your transformation? If you were, it was probably used as a template for your own form, and may still be alive. If you could get it out of this hostile hometown of yours, you could be a mother! I know a lot about dragons. I even have a scroll with my dragons listed! I can give it to you if you want, but only after you eat something. I understand how much you love ham already. Therefore it will be your top priority to stuff your face with it as soon as possible." The last part about the 'top priority' was intended to be a joke, but something told me Blade would take it far more seriously than I had intended.

[Esko]

Esko

 

I was rushing so fast, I didn't even notice Furisa fell off. I didn't hear her yelp, and I left her accidentally in the dunes. Where was Alex? I should bump into him anytime now. Look for a moonstone, look for a familiar moonstone...

 

Furisa

She was having a fun time riding on the back of Daddy, but then he picked up speed, causing Furisa to fall off. She tried to yell "Daddy!" But he was zooming so fast he didn't hear her. She tried to catch up, but being a few days old, she lacked the skill. And the muscles. Her Daddy eventually got lost in the desert, Esko unknowing of her whereabouts.

 

[Alexander_Drake]

Alexander

 

((If I'm going too fast with this post, please tell me. I just wanted to get to this town.))

 

As we approached the town, my own stomach rumbled, and one of the town passerby who was most definitely a morning person looked over, seemed to think for a moment, and then gave me a handful of carrots to eat. I gave the handful to Lazuli, while I ate some chocolate instead.