The Dragons of Ragnos

[EHawkins]

He's weaker than I thought. I didn't have to do anything in order to not get hit by his fire. That's not good, thought the man. To the woman, he said "Look, there is a way for me to get both him and you out of here without being seen by anyone, but it's a bit on the extreme side. Both you and he will have to agree to it. As for who and what I am, that will have to wait until we meet again outside the city. Now, do you want to hear how I can get you out?"

"Whatever you gotta say, say it fast!" Mirah coughed.

The room darkened with smoke. It hadn't really been on fire before, but it was now. She didn't know how long she could stand it. She started to feel dizzy as she fought the disorientation that washed over her.

Outside, she heard the cacophany of people growing louder and louder. Whatever plan this stranger had, she prayed it was a good one...

 

[AriesWolf]

He was dazed now he knew he had missed the man but he didn't care. Mirah was behind his wing suffering from the smoke. He wanted to try and smash the wall out. If he wasn't so tired it would have been possible. Now he could barely summon the will to stand.

His bond with Mirah was of course weak right now, but he could feel her discomfort with the smoke, it added to his already weakened state. Making him feel more and more defeated, his mind was racing with the thought of reprecussions should he lose his new rider. He didn't want to lose HER! His anger and terror gave him some focus, he heard what Mirah had said about the man having to do something.

 

[blaster8]

"Whatever you gotta say, say it fast!" Mirah coughed.

The room darkened with smoke. It hadn't really been on fire before, but it was now. She didn't know how long she could stand the smoke...

"Well, now that the dragon has so foolishly set the building truly ablaze, I don't have time to explain what it is that I'm going to do to get you out of here. I'm just going to tell you to get a good hold on your dragon and keep your wits about you. And I suggest you get a good hold NOW," said the man in a rather commanding voice.

Giving the woman a chance to grab hold of the dragon, he laid his hand on the dragon and started to mutter under his breath in a strange tongue. After a minute of muttering, there was a flash in the room. Both the woman and dragon had disappeared.

Well, I hope they find that cave I sent them to more cozey than this place, he thought to himself. Now, to deal with this blaze.

From outside, the people saw the fire flare up through the roof, and they heard a low rumble as the building started to collapse. Once the dust had settled, the people found that the blaze had been put out when the building fell, and to their relief, the fire had not spread to other buildings and no one had been trapped inside the building. What they didn't notice was a figure, hooded and cloaked, walking away down the street towards the outside of the city.

 

[EHawkins]

<OOC>

Off to work--have a good evening

 

[AriesWolf]

OOC: Lets roll!

IC:

Invictus awoke, the pain in his side no longer dulled by his terror or anger.

"OWWW!" He said loudly as he stood up. His powerful legs now trembling underneath him. He was in a cave, he knew that much. He also knew Mirah was near by he didn't know how near. He couldn't see her, and her scent was faint. However the whole cave reeked of the dragon-man and he felt that the man couldn't be far.

 

[blaster8]

It was several miles to the cave from the outside of Imperial City, and the man wonder which method he should use to get there. Should he get there as fast as possible and fly? Or should he give the woman and dragon time to recover and walk? He decided to walk, figuring that there would be plenty of time later to stretch his wings.

It was still dark when the man was a mile out of the city. That's when he caught the distinct smell of several men waiting up the road, adrelanine pumping through their veins in anticipation. Great, an ambush, he thought to himself. Hopefully, I can discourage them from doing anything...foolish.

As he walked on, several "dangerous" looking men stepped out into the road, blocking it. "Up and about a little early, I see," said the biggest man, who was in the middle of the group. There were five men, each of them holding some manner of weapon. Three of them had clubs, one a bow and arrow, and the other, the biggest man, held a sword. The mystery man stopped about ten feet from them, looking at them from under his hood. This time, his eyes could not be seen.

"Hand over your coin purse and you might live," continued the big man.

"I have a better idea. How about you get out of my way and you might live?" stated the man flatly. Intimidation usually works for dealing with highwaymen like these. If their target is confident, like this man is, they might reconsider their choice in target. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"Ha. It seems to me that you have too much confidence. Five armed men against one unarmed traveler? I happen to like those odds," replied the big man. No way was he going to be intimidated.

The mystery man silently sighed to himself. Now he has to up the ante. Time to bring out the eyes. He blinked, and suddenly the five men where staring into a pair of glowing eyes underneath that hood. One of the men, the one with the bow, trembled a bit, then his will snapped. He turned and fled as quickly as he could. The other three froze in place, their own confidence wavering. The fourth man, the big one, started to tremble, but he held his ground.

"You might want to reconsider those odds that you liked so much. Besides, I don't need any weapons in order to rip your lungs out," replied the now dragon-eyed man.

"Why, you little..." growled the big man, as he lunged forward with his sword. The mystery man shook his head, thinking, Why is it that it is always the strong willed who end up dead? At the rate I'm encountering these guys, mice will have stronger wills then men. Of course, it's usually the stupid ones that end up dead, too. At least men will have intelligence to go along with their weak will.

He revealed himself then, in all his glory. The big man only had enough time to think, oh shit before a set of claws ripped through his chest and out his back, holding one of his lungs. The other three had heart attacks right then and there, due to the shear fright, dropping over dead where they stood. The claws that held the big man's lung dropped it, and then withdrew, allowing the man to fall limp to the ground.

Hmmm...it seems a waste to let such a nice lung go. I haven't eaten yet this week, so I might as well have a little snack, thought the man, now appearing to be just another traveler, as he picked up the lung and went on his way.

 

[EHawkins]

OOC: Lets roll!

IC:

Invictus awoke, the pain in his side no longer dulled by his terror or anger.

"OWWW!" He said loudly as he stood up. His powerful legs now trembling underneath him. He was in a cave, he knew that much. He also knew Mirah was near by he didn't know how near. He couldn't see her, and her scent was faint. However the whole cave reeked of the dragon-man and he felt that the man couldn't be far.

<OOC>
Sorry for dashing off so suddenly--work and all

<IC>


Mirah's eyes slowly opened to darkness. She pulled off her gloves, stuffed them in her belt and felt around. Her small hands passed over sharp rock and she heard the echo of water dripping somewhere close by. There was the damp scent in the air that mingled with the scent of smoke on her clothes. She shivered as she struggled to get up. Her chest still burned from all the smoke she'd inhaled. The last thing she remembered was a man telling her to hold on to... to something.

"Invictus!" Mirah called out suddenly, "Invictus?"

Mirah carefully felt along the cold rock face of what she thought was a cave. It was slowly coming back: The fire, the strange man, and the black dragon...

She remembered grabbing hold of Invictus now, and holding on to his scaly neck. The man had done something to get them out of burning house that Invictus had plumetted into.

"Great..." Mirah muttered. "I owe him--I hate owing people..."

And then:

"Invictus! Can you hear me? Are you all right?"

Her voice echoed through the cavern, but nothing answered back.

Where is this place? Mirah thought. Where am I? That man... he did something.

Her brow furrowed as she felt around and pulled herself up on a rocky shelf. Man? Those eyes weren't the eyes of a man. A chill ran through Mirah at the thought of those strange eyes on her, and she abruptly pushed it away.

Suddenly she heard a bestial cry of pain and scrambled down the rocks in the darkness as best as she could.

"Invictus, hold on! I'm coming!"

 

[blaster8]

OOC:

I'll let you and Aries discuss for a little while while my character travels. It will be several game hours until he arrives, somwhere around midday. Feel free to take a nap and recover.

 

[EHawkins]

OOC:

I'll let you and Aries discuss for a little while while my character travels. It will be several game hours until he arrives, somwhere around midday. Feel free to take a nap and recover.

<OOC>

'Kay

 

[AriesWolf]

<OOC>
Sorry for dashing off so suddenly--work and all

<IC>


Mirah's eyes slowly opened to darkness. She pulled off her gloves, stuffed them in her belt and felt around. Her small hands passed over sharp rock and she heard the echo of water dripping somewhere close by. There was the damp scent in the air that mingled with the scent of smoke on her clothes. She shivered as she struggled to get up. Her chest still burned from all the smoke she'd inhaled. The last thing she remembered was a man telling her to hold on to... to something.

"Invictus!" Mirah called out suddenly, "Invictus?"

Mirah carefully felt along the cold rock face of what she thought was a cave. It was slowly coming back: The fire, the strange man, and the black dragon...

She remembered grabbing hold of Invictus now, and holding on to his scaly neck. The man had done something to get them out of burning house that Invictus had plumetted into.

"Great..." Mirah muttered. "I owe him--I hate owing people..."

And then:

"Invictus! Can you hear me? Are you all right?"

Her voice echoed through the cavern, but nothing answered back.

Where is this place? Mirah thought. Where am I? That man... he did something.

Her brow furrowed as she felt around and pulled herself up on a rocky shelf. Man? Those eyes weren't the eyes of a man. A chill ran through Mirah at the thought of those strange eyes on her, and she abruptly pushed it away.

Suddenly she heard a bestial cry of pain and scrambled down the rocks in the darkness as best as she could.

"Invictus, hold on! I'm coming!"

Relief flooded through him like a warm tidal wave. He was suddenly giddy, his relative "Youngness" showing as he began to hop excitedly, until he of course felt the scorching pain of movement.

"Oww" he said somewhat more quietly, as he tried to look and see what was wrong. He of course had a large scorch mark on his side, that was now open and raw. He wondered how he had got that... the memory of the storm was little fuzzy. He had thought he had fell from exhaustion... but this was a burn not a cut or scrape from the fall.

He could hear Mirah coming closer in the dark of the cave.

"Mirah?" he called quietly. "Mirah how did I get hurt?"

He waited expectantly Mirah would know. Of course she would, she was his rider, she'd take care of him! His lack of experience with the world and life in general caused him to simply believe it. Despite that he had only met her a few hours before, and that it had been under extremely odd circumstances.

 

[blaster8]

It was now mid-morning as the man continued to walk to the cave he had sent the dragon and woman to. He was still two miles out when he decided to go looking for some items to take to the cave.

I need fresh herbs and whatnot in order to properly heal the dragon, and the dragon is bound to be hungry after such an experience so I might as well bring him something to eat, he thought to himself as he turned off the deer trail he was following. He spent an hour or two gathering the required items to heal the dragon, after which he caught the smell of a deer in the area.

He proceeded to stalk the deer, the same way as a predator would. It came naturally to him, of course. He moved quickly through the forest until he saw the deer. It was a male deer! Wonderful, he thought. That deer must weigh nearly as much as I do. That should be plenty to feed the dragon.

He was down-wind of the deer, so it hasn't caught his scent yet. He began to stealthily move closer to the deer, careful to avoid making any sound that would alert the deer. The deer was in a small clearing, allowing him to hide in the tree line until he was ready to attack. He crouched low to the ground, hiding in the shadow of a tree, watching the deer. Suddenly, after a minute of watching, the deer perked up, alert to something. It looked around, but could see nothing out of the ordinary. That's when he jumped, literally, out of the forest and tackled the deer. Claws came out of his hands (like the woman that Wolverine fights in Xmen2) and slashed at the side of the deer, causing deep wounds. The deer managed to get away from his attack, but he didn't mind. He followed the scent of frightened and wounded deer like a buzzard drawn to the smell of death. Gods, how he missed the thrill of the hunt, after all those years in that city.

 

[Wolfsister]

Selangra stumbled onwards, her wings folding under the pressure of the pain she now experienced in every waking minute. Each scrabble of her hind legs brought fresh blossoms of pain and her breath felt like it was ripping from her lungs. She fought on though, she knew, deep within her Dragon's Heart, she knew that she was needed somewhere. Somehow, something called to her from beyond the mountains. From beyond the Dragon Sanctuaries and she had only realised just how strong a call it was when she had finally decided to chance the human world. To cross the border between Dragon lands and brave the harsh clime over the mountains.

Scaling a cliff was not easy, even for a dragon, but it was made even harder by her current condition. After that narrow escape, she had flown many miles and hours beyond counting before reaching the Borderlands. There, on land that none would ever own, she finally landed. Falling into a heap on the ground, her wings near broken, her lungs near frozen and her limbs liquid from exhaustion, she had only given herself a scant few hours to rest before attempting to move again.

Flying had soon been ruled out as an option as her wings would not support her weight for more than ten minutes and the effort required the climb above the mountain peaks would have been tremendous. She would have literally had to stroke her way vertically for miles as there were little to no updrafts strong enough to carry her this close to the mountain-side. So, still weary and in pain, she had pushed herself up the mountain cliffs, limb by limb.

She reached up with a clawed forearm and scrabbled to find a foothold. Her body strained and trembled with the sustained effort but she refused to stop and rest. Something un-nameable drew her own, made her yearn for the other side of the peak. Something called to her, screamed for her to continue and not rest until she found... what? What was she doing? Where was she going?

Selangra did not know the answers but she knew one thing. Her mother had made her promise to always follow her heart. To follow her own instincts. These visions, these dreams of battle and glory were all she had left now, and her heart was screaming for them to become real. She knew that if she crossed this mountain range, they would blossom to life and she would taste the blood of her foes in the air.

She pushed resolutely onwards.

****************************************************​

Many days later she came to the peak. Her limbs shaking from exhaustion, her visions of glory all that pushed her on. She stood and cast her eyes on an unfamiliar land. Water ran from a nearby crater-lake and she drank her fill, using the brief stop as a chance to rest. Though she was there, she still felt the need to go further.

The water revitalised her somewhat and with the resting of her wings, she found that she could once again fly. Snapping her copper stained wings out to their full glory she grunted with pleasure at feeling the wind push gently against the delicate membranes between her wingbones. She gave an experimental downwards thrust and lifted in the air a foot or two. Giving a grin of pure exhiliration, she stretched her wings out even further to gather the winds beneath them and with a powerful beat, thrust herself into the sky.

She travelled for miles, for many days and many more hours. She traveled high in the clouds, her last meal finally withering away in her stomach, though she did not stop to stem her hunger. Still it drew her on and finally she came upon another set of mountains, their size, though smaller than the Borderlands, were still impressive to a Dragon of her years.

She recognised many man made settlements and instinctively kept away from them, but however many times she circled, she knew that this was where she was needed. This was where she would find glory.
One day, during mid-morn, she spied a large cave on the mountain-side. Her sense of urgency was gone and now she would find a suitable place to rest. The cave was perfect.

Landing became difficult when she discovered that her wings would not fold. She had been gliding, using the eddies of air high above the earth, for so long that they had frozen in place. This normally would not have happened, however in her weakened state....

Selangra could not stop herself from cannonballing into the mouth of the cave. She left a trail of deeply gouged earth behind her as her air speed pushed her farther and deeper into the cave. When she came to rest, not even her keen eyes could penetrate the darkness. She found that she could not move, her hind legs were caught beneath her and her forearms were bent at odd angles. She could not feel her wings, but she was certain that they too were broken. Her breathing came in fast, shallow pants and her neck felt stiff and hard to move.

All she could do was rest her head on the ground and give herself over the darkness of unconsciousness and hope that when she woke, she could once again lift her own weight.

So much for glory.

 

[Angelus]

He looked up at Samuel before him and cursed under his breath. He knew that he should not have come here in the first place but he still wanted to make sure his friend was safe, that is one of the reasons why he brought the small sword with him; there was no way of knowing just what was out here. He gripped the hilt of the sword with one hand as he gripped one of the rocks, pulled himself up then looked down. This was a very remote area of the mountains and he knew that if either of them fell then they would never be found.

"Are you sure that we are going the right way?! You know that there is a likelihood of us dying out here. Just because of that piece of parchment and you wanting to be rich!" he shouted to Samuel over the wind.

Samuel looked down at him and Alex saw the doubt that was on his face, Great, you don't know where we are going do you. We are going to die out here!

He moved up the barely there path to his friend then looked over his shoulder at the parchment. It was truly impossible to read but Samuel was so convinced that this was the place that they should be they both came up here without even thinking twice. Alex shook his head and wanted to take the parchment away from Samuel but he knew that there was no way that he would part with it and had to follow him.

There was one other reason why he was up here though and it was getting stronger the further up the mountain he was going. He could feel something calling him, as if a part of himself was destined to be here. He could hear the name on the wind and knew without a doubt this is where he should be, he just didn't trust in that damned piece of parchment!

He wanted to call out the name, hoping that whatever it belonged to would come and take him away from this place but with that thought he wanted to let out a laugh. How could a single name, screamed into the wind take him away from the life he now had? It was true that he felt as though he did not belong here, as if there was something more to his life than this but he never knew what it was. Was being here in these mountains part of his destiny, the destiny Shayla never wanted to tell him. He always remembered the way she had screamed at him to get out of her home and never come back.

It was then that he noticed Samuel was moving again and let out another curse, How much further do we have to go until he finally realizes that it is a fake?

Before he could put those thoughts into any words however Samuel let out a shout then turned to look at Alex, a large smile on his face.
What?! He actually found the damn thing?

"Come and look Alex! There it is; the answer to all our dreams and prayers!"

Alex at that point wanted to tell him what his dreams really were about but he knew his friend would laugh. He moved quickly towards Samuel then and looked to where his friend pointed, seeing the large cave. A large smile came to Alex's face and he turned to Samuel.

"You found it. We actually found it!"

As soon as they both saw the cave all thought of how far they had gone and how tired they were vanished. They moved towards the cave faster and faster until they were both almost running to get to it. All that was on there minds was what was in that cave and never having to work in someone else's mine ever again.

Alex put his arm out to stop Samuel though as soon as he saw that deep gouges in the rock in front of the cave however. Samuel opened his mouth to ask him what he had stopped him for but when he saw them and how fresh they were he closed his mouth, looking at Alex who had drawn his short sword. He looked at the gouges and wondered what had made them and whether or not it was wise to be here. He knew that there was something in that cave that would make him rich enough to leave here forever but was it worth being killed over.

It was then that he felt something very familiar pulling him towards the cave and turned his head slowly to look into it. Was it possible that whatever had that name was here? Was it possible that his destiny started here?

He moved towards the cave without even thinking about it and heard Samuel's footsteps behind him. He could tell that Samuel was scared, there was no way that he could not be but Alex did not feel that; above everything he was curious. What was in this cave?

As he moved further into the cave he could feel the pull on him stronger than ever. He wanted to scream out the name again but did not want to appear stupid if nothing happened. As he moved towards whatever was pulling at him though he felt different, as if something was being awoken within him; something he should never have forgotten in the first place.

He wanted to run towards whatever was calling to him but he knew he could not leave Samuel behind and turned to face him, surprised to see the torch in his hand. As soon as he turned to look in the direction that they had been going he received an even greater shock. The cave looked as if it had been struck by something hard and blasted inwards. It had been so hard that parts of the wall had been smashed apart, revealing the gold that was behind it.

Gripping the sword even tighter in his hand Alex moved forward, the pull in his head threatening to overwhelm him and drive him mad but he knew he had to go forward, there was no way that he could stop now.

It was then that the torch light fell onto something red, something reptilian; something that did not belong there. Alex heard a gasp to his right and looked at Samuel who had his mouth open but he turned and looked back at the dragon with only one thought in his head; this was it, this was why he was here! He turned to Samuel who was backing slowly away from the dragon.

"Bring the torch here Samuel. I want to see it."

Samuel looked at him, "Are you mad! You know what that thing is. You know what it will do to us!"

"I do not think that it will hurt us. I think she is hurt."

Samuel looked at him, his eyes widening. "How do you know it is a she."

"I just know that dragon is a she and that she is hurt."

"This is the perfect time to kill it then. You know that all dragons are evil and that they should not live."

Alex then saw the pickaxe in Samuel's hand and knew what he was planning to do. He moved swiftly in front of his friend and stopped him before he could reach the dragon. Samuel stood there and looked at him, shock and surprise written clearly on his face.

"What are you doing! That thing has to die!"

Samuel started to move towards the dragon again but Alex moved swiftly and let out a scream, the sword that was in his hand piercing his friend's abdomen. Alex looked at his friend whose eyes widened in shock even as they dulled in death. He slowly pulled the sword from his friend and looked down at it in his hand, the blade already stained crimson.

"What have I done?"

Slowly he turned to the dragon, the one who had been pulling to him and brought his hand forward to touch her.

"Selangra," was all that he said.

 

[EHawkins]

Relief flooded through him like a warm tidal wave. He was suddenly giddy, his relative "Youngness" showing as he began to hop excitedly, until he of course felt the scorching pain of movement.

"Oww" he said somewhat more quietly, as he tried to look and see what was wrong. He of course had a large scorch mark on his side, that was now open and raw. He wondered how he had got that... the memory of the storm was little fuzzy. He had thought he had fell from exhaustion... but this was a burn not a cut or scrape from the fall.

He could hear Mirah coming closer in the dark of the cave.

"Mirah?" he called quietly. "Mirah how did I get hurt?"

He waited expectantly Mirah would know. Of course she would, she was his rider, she'd take care of him! His lack of experience with the world and life in general caused him to simply believe it. Despite that he had only met her a few hours before, and that it had been under extremely odd circumstances.

Mirah reached out for Invictus in the darkness and felt the cool, smooth scales of his neck.

"Easy," she murmured. "I'm here... I think you were struck by lightning and knocked out of the sky. You fell through the roof of a house in Red Hook and nearly crushed me as well..."

I don't know how to take care of him... she thought. but I have to see how bad his wound is...

"There's water somewhere around here. I should at least see how bad your wound is and try to wash it out. I know it hurts, but try and walk with me--we'll go slow...."

she gave Invictus a gentle pat on the side of his neck.

"You can do it." she coaxed.

Mirah slowly guided him through the dark, and as they drew closer to the sound of water, the darkness of the cave became dim. They carefully made their way into a large, stony chamber lit by shafts of warm daylight from above. The dragon collapsed by the pool and she knelt at his side.

“This is bad…” she muttered, as she looked at Invictus’ scorched, blistered flesh.

There was dirt and mud caked in the wound. Mirah looked around and found some soft moss growing on the rocks. She plucked some off, dunked it in the water and started to gently wash out Invictus’ wound. When she was finished, Mirah tossed the moss aside. She looked at the dragon, a beast that she knew she should be terrified of, but there was a sense of… kinship, of belonging that quelled her fear.

Mirah sat next to Invictus, exhausted and held the black dragon’s head in her lap. She closed her eyes and gently stroked the bony ridges of new horn that grew from scaly flesh, and down his neck, trying to calm him.

“How is it that you know my name?” She asked quietly. “ What do you have to do with me?”

Mirah drifted off with her dragon’s head in her lap. Her dreams were washed with blood and fire. The sound of wind and screams howled around her as she moved to spear a shadowy foe from Invictus’ back with something that looked like a trident. On the bloody horizon, she saw a black-haired rider astride a copper red dragon. He cut down many with a violent fury of a storm.

Something was coming, and Mirah stirred uncomfortably in her sleep…

 

[blaster8]

It was midday when the man approached the entrance of the cave, carrying the deer over his shoulder. He could smell the dragon inside. He proceeded to head for the lake in the cave. He figured that if either of them, the woman or the dragon, were concious, they would head for the water. He moved through the cave with ease; he didn't have to feel his way along. He knew the cave very well because this was his territory. Plus, his dragon eyes allowed him to see fairly well in the dark.

He found the two of them right where he thought he would. The woman sound asleep with the dragon's head in her lap. The dragon was out like a light, which meant that he could work on the dragon without having to worry about it disagreeing with him. He laid the deer down about twelve feet from the dragon and went a little further into the cave to where he had stashed a good number of items, not including treasure--which, of course, there was plenty of. His dragon nature caused him to hoard treasure that he found, or gathered of the bodies of those he killed.

Having gathered some wood and a number of rags to dress the dragon's wound, he went back to the lake. About six feet from the dragon, he laid the wood and built a fire. He laid the rags down nearby. He filled a pot he retrieved from his stash with water from the lake, and set it over the fire to boil. He then went to the dragon's wound to reasses it. It was bad, in fact, it looked a bit worse than before because it had been cleaned. Some of the wound must have been hidden by the dirt. After cleaning it again with a rag soaked in the boiling water, he placed some of the herbs he gathered in the forest into and on the wound. He then brought out a small bowl, placed some roots in it, and proceeded to grind them with a stone. Adding some boiling water, he stirred the contents of the bowl until he had a paste. Taking some of the rags, he spread the paste along the edges and laid them across the wound as a covering. The paste would ensure that the rags stayed put until he removed them.

Having done all he could for the wound at this moment, he looked the dragon over, looking for other injuries. The dragon was indeed young. By the look of his scales, he must not have been over a year old. Why had such a young and inexperienced dragon been sent to bond with a rider? thought the man. Couldn't the elders have waited until he was three, when he had some more experience? Seeing no other injuries that required his attention, he went back to the fire and sat down. He began to sing softly to himself in that strange tongue he used back at the building. He didn't know why he knew that language, he just did. There seemed to be a large part of his early life that he could not remember. He could not remember a time when he had been anything other than what he was; he could not remember ever being pure human. He could not remember his homeland, nor his family, if he ever had one.

He just sat there, singing, until he lost track of time, and the fire became smouldering embers. He sat with his cloak drawn about him, his hood drawn. He didn't need his dragon eyes in the light of the fire, so he changed back to his natural, human eyes. When the fire faded to embers, the light of them were reflected from his eyes.

 

[Optimas]

Sharm moves

Great gnawing, snarling beasts tracked Sharm with uncanny skill. No matter how many streams , brooks or rivers he crossed they gained on him - He could sense it.

Sharm was tired, he was tired of everything. Sharm had found shelter in a barn on the outskirts of a small village.

Upon waking after a couple of hours respite he heard raised voices outside. He poked his head out of the barn doors and the world exploded. Some villagers had (some how) been alerted to his presence. They threw torches into the hay barn and waited outside with murderous intent. Sharm jumped back and scooped up the egg in the bag and placed it on his shoulder. He had no time for his cloak. He started to panic his eyes darted around the room , scanning for any chance of escape. He could kill all the villagers in one swoop but his code did not allow wanton death to be dealt so lightly. The flames licked higher spreading like a plague amongst the hay, the barn was becoming a death trap.

At the last minute Sharm saw a half broken ladder hanging loosely from the ceiling, he made a last ditch leap to the bottom ladder rung he manged to cling on, legs flailing underneath him. The barn was ablaze and now the hay under the ladder began burning also. Sharm grunted as he sprung himself up to the next rung smoke burning his lungs, even his strong goblin lungs were not immune to smoke. His eyes streamed and the heat was unbearable but some how he manged to make it to the next level up. He made his way over to a window where dark and foreboding smoke billowed out into the night air.
Sharm moved out onto the barn`s sloping roof smoke and light from the inferno inside shot out from small holes in the roof. Sharm could see the building was about to collapse, and it made a groaning noise as if to agree.
A tree over hung just in reach and sharm placed the bag with the egg in on the roof as he stretched fro the branch to test the strength. His heart missed a beat when he turned to get the bag. The fire had traveled so far the bag was glowing as the roof set burst alight. Sharm dived for the bag strap just as the building roof collapsed, he clung to the branch with one hand and held on to the strap with the other. . . but the bag was alight.

The bag was disintegrating, and the egg would surely be destroyed by the fall. Sharm reacted by instinct, he yanked the bag towards himself and the egg flew free. Whipping his arm around he caught the searing hot egg before it fell but the smell of his burning flesh hit him before the pain did. Blackness clouded his mind as he fell from the tree the last thought was to get his body between the floor and the egg. . .THUMP!! Silent Darkness envelops him but he thinks of howling beasts and burning lands.

 

[AriesWolf]

A sudden cool relief passed through Invictus as he slept, the pain eased and he relaxed into a deeper sleep. Mirah's hands were gentle and soft, long years of theiving and fighting gave them powerful and comforting touch. He could not be more at ease. The memory of her questions seemed distant, and even as he vaguely felt the Dragon-Man leave he did not stir.

The cool calm of the cave was soon disturbed by his hunger however, his eyes came open slowly as his stomach began to growl. He smelt fresh meat, as if an animal had died nearby, and was just waiting to be eaten. He shifted, rags clinging awkwardly to his side as he moved. Rising brought back alittle of the pain, but it was minimal, the paste and herbs in the wound numbing the once throbbing pain to a tolerable level.

Gently he nudged Mirah, not wanting to go anywhere without her. It had taken him two sleepless days to find her, and he was not about to risk losing her.

"Mirah... Mirah wake up silly" He nudged her again with his snout. His long tongue darting out and licking the side of her cheek in a dog like fashion. He hoped the sudden application of moisture would wake her.

 

[blaster8]

A sudden cool relief passed through Invictus as he slept, the pain eased and he relaxed into a deeper sleep. Mirah's hands were gentle and soft, long years of theiving and fighting gave them powerful and comforting touch. He could not be more at ease. The memory of her questions seemed distant, and even as he vaguely felt the Dragon-Man leave he did not stir.

The cool calm of the cave was soon disturbed by his hunger however, his eyes came open slowly as his stomach began to growl. He smelt fresh meat, as if an animal had died nearby, and was just waiting to be eaten. He shifted, rags clinging awkwardly to his side as he moved. Rising brought back alittle of the pain, but it was minimal, the paste and herbs in the wound numbing the once throbbing pain to a tolerable level.

Gently he nudged Mirah, not wanting to go anywhere without her. It had taken him two sleepless days to find her, and he was not about to risk losing her.

"Mirah... Mirah wake up silly" He nudged her again with his snout. His long tongue darting out and licking the side of her cheek in a dog like fashion. He hoped the sudden application of moisture would wake her.

The man, upon hearing the dragon stirring, stopped singing. He continued to sit still though. He could tell the dragon had regained some strength, mainly because he heard the dragon's stomach growl. Obviously, the dragon could smell the deer that lay a few feet behind the man. The man could smell the deer too, and he was hungry as well. But he had decided that the dragon needed the food more than he did.

He just sat there, watching the dragon try to wake the woman, waiting for the dragon to notice his presence.

 

[AriesWolf]

Invictus decided Mirah was too deep in sleep to bother with, he simply felt that he would move her on his own. He didn't want to lose sight of her. Taking her shirt in his mouth he dragged her as gently as he could towards the fire. Perhaps the warmth would wake her.

As he turned his head he stopped dead. The Dragon-Man was sitting on the otherside of the fire. Releasing Mirah's shirt he stepped in front of the girl protectively, his partner was unconcious and therefore very vulnerable as far he was concerned. He may but have very old or even all that intelligent as of yet, but one thing he understood was that it was his duty to protect Mirah not matter what.

"Dragon-man" he said levely with as much cool composure as a young dragon can muster. He let his fangs show as he spoke, they glinted in the dim firelight any normal man may have been intimidated.

 

[blaster8]

Invictus decided Mirah was too deep in sleep to bother with, he simply felt that he would move her on his own. He didn't want to lose sight of her. Taking her shirt in his mouth he dragged her as gently as he could towards the fire. Perhaps the warmth would wake her.

As he turned his head he stopped dead. The Dragon-Man was sitting on the otherside of the fire. Releasing Mirah's shirt he stepped in front of the girl protectively, his partner was unconcious and therefore very vulnerable as far he was concerned. He may but have very old or even all that intelligent as of yet, but one thing he understood was that it was his duty to protect Mirah not matter what.

"Dragon-man" he said levely with as much cool composure as a young dragon can muster. He let his fangs show as he spoke, they glinted in the dim firelight any normal man may have been intimidated.

The man smiled as the show of protectiveness that the dragon put on. "Please, dragon, relax. Had I meant to do harm to you or your rider, I would have done so. Both of you have been out for hours. I showed up here around midday, and it is now sunset. Besides, if I meant to hurt you, then why would I have tended to your wounds?" said the man. "And it is good that you recognize part of my scent. It means you can still smell."

He stood up, grabbed the deer and flung it to within the dragon's reach. "Here, eat it. You will find nothing wrong with it. I got it just for you. Let me just remind you, that you are in my territory now, so be careful." He sat back down again, allowing the fire to show some of his features.

He appeared to be young, in his mid to late 20s. He had rugged features that indicated a hard life, short though it may have been. His eyes were human, brownish. His hair could not be seen under the hood, and the rest of his body was still wrapped in his cloak.

 

[AriesWolf]

"Who are you Dragon-Man?" Invictus asked, taking a cautious sniff of the deer. His Hunger overrode his caution and he took a large strip of meat off it with a growl. He knew that he must respect this ones territory, as he would any other dragons. It was custom and had been taught to him by his mother.

Thinking of her made his heart weigh heavily in his massive chest. He wanted to go home, when he could fly again he and Mirah would go home he decided. No matter what the rules of the Dragon Sanctuary might be, Mirah was going home with him and that was that. He wanted to see his mother, and get really mad at the elders for all the trouble they had caused.

 

[blaster8]

"Who are you Dragon-Man?" Invictus asked, taking a cautious sniff of the deer. His Hunger overrode his caution and he took a large strip of meat off it with a growl. He knew that he must respect this ones territory, as he would any other dragons. It was custom and had been taught to him by his mother.

Thinking of her made his heart weigh heavily in his massive chest. He wanted to go home, when he could fly again he and Mirah would go home he decided. No matter what the rules of the Dragon Sanctuary might be, Mirah was going home with him and that was that. He wanted to see his mother, and get really mad at the elders for all the trouble they had caused.

"Who am I? A better question would be, what am I? Of course, the answer to that one is hard to explain, so I shall answer the first. I am Cris, a servant of dragons. Of course, according to draconic law, you cannot command me to do anything until you reach full maturity at age 15. Until then, you can only request that I do something for you. As for what I am," said the man, pausing slightly, his eyes becoming distant with some memory, "I used to be a rider. Now I am part dragon, part man. I shall give an explanation when your own rider wakes. Until then, enjoy your free meal, and feel free to make small talk."

I have never seen that memory before. Where did it come from? wondered Cris.

 

[AriesWolf]

Invictus was surprised, small talk? He had brought them here told him that he was a former rider and then suggested small talk? What was small talk? How did one talk small? Maybe it was accomplished by being very quiet... he would try that.

"So what are we going to do when Mirah wakes up?" He whispered "Can we go home?"

Hoping that he was small talking. He thought he must be doing okay because the man didn't seem to get mad. So he continued.

"Cos I wanna go home and take Mirah there too!" He was speaking louder as his excitement got the better of him. "Do you think it would be okay?"

His massive eyes were wide in excitement he wanted the man to say it would be okay. He tore off another chunk of the deer, chewing happily as he waited for the man to answer him. The bones of the deer's rib cage crunching merrily as he ate. A smile across his draconic features.

He stretched out getting comfortable and setting Mirah against his unwounded side. All the while singing lightly to himself in some unknown tongue, he wondered why the man hadn't answered him. Wasn't it rude to simply start talking in the middle of conversation? He stared at the man, his nose twitching as a sneeze built up.

"ACHOO" He snarled, and a gout of flames shot across the cave.

 

[blaster8]

Invictus was surprised, small talk? He had brought them here told him that he was a former rider and then suggested small talk? What was small talk? How did one talk small? Maybe it was accomplished by being very quiet... he would try that.

"So what are we going to do when Mirah wakes up?" He whispered "Can we go home?"

Hoping that he was small talking.

Cris laughed at the dragon whispering. He had forgotten that such a young dragon would not know what was meant by "small talk."

"Let me explain what small talk is, young one. I had forgotten that you don't have the experience to know that," said Cris, still chuckling. "Small talk is a discussion in which nothing of real consequence, or importance, is said. An example would be a casual converstion in which greetings are exchanged, and certain other formalities are meet. In the situation we are in now, you would ask me some questions, like what happened between you meeting your rider and you waking up to find me sitting here. Or you could tell me about yourself."

"And to answer your questions, we will decide what happens after your rider wakes. You cannot go home with your rider. I know draconic law just as well as the elder dragons do. If you show up with your rider, you could face banishment or even death, along with your rider. Of course, your rider would die before you did, and you would have to watch her die a slow and painful death as punishment. You wouldn't be executed, of course. You would be chained up in a dark cave until you wither and die," continued Cris.

Now, how the hell did I know all that? Cris thought, as the dragon sneezed a gout of flame. "Whoa," Cris said, smiling. "Watch where you aim that snout of yours."

 

[AriesWolf]

"WHY!" Invictus snapped, suddenly his mood ruined. "The Elders can't do that I don't want Mirah to die!"

He knew that he couldn't go home now, he would have to stay here in this cave, cold and wet, with only the Dragon-man to talk to while Mirah slept. He felt sad. He wanted to talk to Mirah, he had never really had a full conversation with the girl, but he always felt good when she spoke. It was like her voice soothed his nerves. As a rider's speech often does for their dragon. Just as a Dragons song can be quite soothing for a rider.

"Mirah" He called nudging her again. "Why is she so sleepy Dragon man? She won't wake up... is she hurt?"