A Boy and His Dragonwolf

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym moved over to the edge of the pool right next to Nemune, and sneezed as he ended up getting some water shook onto his face. He got up out of the water and shook himself off, before heading over to some warm stone and laid down, beckoning his mate over to him with a happy yip so they could dry off and relax.

~~

Mahra nodded once Claire and Tyler said that the male was going to wait outside, and smiled. "Well, she will be out soon if you want to just stay nearby." she explained, before heading into the room. Once Claire stripped herself down, Yemis led her to sit on the bed and began to trail her hands over Claire's body. It was always feather-light and would send shivers through the human's body as Yemis continued to evaluate her.

"Mi'm baesia tes ail seli eilaedria shor caes tandros, syl Ai pyr mi cyrn air or." was the final verdict that came from Yemis, followed by "Mi'm baesia thaesoli. Sar tali tadi ei kyr tyli ail caes sai." which made Mahara blush before looking over at Claire, nodding before she gave her translation."

"She says that you're naturally very in tune with your magic. If you were trained to harness it, you could be a formidable warrior as well - if not a knight, as you are without a pandrylyr." Mahara explained, thinking the second part unnecessary to say while she let Claire think over what was said.

 

[Quiet One]

Nemune cooed and hopped out of the water after Nym, waving her tail to whip the water off it. She walked over, through the Aers going about their business. Like Nym before her, they parted and stepped aside to let her move into towards the stone Nym was laying on. It was actually a runway for pandrylyrs to run off and fly, but it served her mate's purpose just as much, and she curled into a circle before laying down next to him, folding her wings and giving him space to place his own over her if he wanted.

---

Claire shivered in her seat as Yemis inspected her. She felt more than just the tingling of her fingertips on her body; she felt the energy poke and prod at her as well. She looked up while Mahara translated, occasionally looking down at Yemis again during the inspection.

"Pandrylyr? I assume that's what you call dragon-wolves, huh? Well, I'm fine with my connection with Tyler and Nym, so I don't really need a big pup," she replied in humor. "And while I'm not the type to believe in magic, I think I've seen enough evidence to sway me. Guess I'm going to be asking for books and an interpreter if I'm allowed to learn from you guys." She spotted Mahara's blush and raised an eyebrow. "What else did she say?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym murred happily when Nemune came over to join him and he stretched out a wing to cover his female gently, though not block the sun from her. With that the two dragonwolves were snuggled up in the sun, out of the way of everyone. Although eventually a young Aer ran up to the two and giggled at them, sitting down and leaning back on Nym's side. He blinked in surprise but simply nudged the youngling's head and settled back down.

~~

Mahara smiled a bit more and nodded at Claire's words, Yemis muttering something as she finished up and then stepped back. "What she said.. it's not that important." Mahara insisted, though relented. "She simply said.. you're quite fertile, and amongst other reasons.. Tyler made a good choice with you." she finally said, blushing even more.

"Anyway, I'll help train you as well as others, and we'll do what we can to teach you our language as we will with Tyler. For now, though, you and Tyler should go and speak with one another, I'll be by shortly to take you to a meal and then begin your training."

 

[Quiet One]

Nemune looked over at the young Aer, who giggled even more at Nym's nudging. She cooed and craned her neck up, reaching over and catching the child's collar with her mouth, lifting the youngling up and laying it against her belly. Caring for Aer children was a fine training for motherhood.

---

"Fertile," Claire repeated, this time going red herself. She made a mental note to check this world's birth control methods. She grabbed her clothes and started dressing again. "So I'm good here, right? All set?"

Yemis said something in her language with a nod. "I figure that means yes. Alright; I guess there's nothing for it but to see you later."

They stepped outside and Tyler was standing against a pillar, smirking to himself. He could see Nym and Nemune from where he was standing. They were a couple levels down the mountain, nestled on what looked like some kind of small runway, with a kid playing around by them. "All set?" he asked. He gestured with his hand for Claire and Mahara. "Come check this out. That kid loves our dragon-wolves."

"Cute," Claire nodded and leaned against him. "Apparently I can stay for a while. I guess I'm going to be learning with you."

Tyler smirked. "Good. I've got someone to cheat off of."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym looked over at the Aer-child as Nemune moved her onto her belly. The male murred and lickes the child's cheek before looking around. An older Aer was standing by, keeping an eye on his progeny. Satisfied, Nym rolled over and laid up wih his belly on the stone, watching over his mate and the youngling as a strong male does.

 

[Quiet One]

"Well, I guess we might as well head back to our room, since it doesn't look like I'll be able to pry Nym from his new friends," Tyler said. He looked at Mahara and nodded to her. "Sorry, but I think we need a bit alone. Just come get us when you and Judy are ready."

"Very well. I will have typical Aer attire brought to your rooms. I assume you'd rather not stand out," the knight replied.

"Eh, might as well. Thank you." With that, Tyler led Claire back to their room, where they immediately began discussing the strange predicament they'd found themselves in.

"Before we go over anything, I'm just glad we both agree how insane this is," she began. Tyler chuckled and nodded. "Who's Judy?"

"Apparently the last human chosen before me. She's...scary as all hell. Has this polearm and a bow and a sword - just armed to the teeth. She'll probably show up to dinner in battle armor, or with the blood of those dark dragon-wolves on her hands or something."

"You don't like her?" Claire asked.

"It's not that," he shook his head. "I'm sure she's fine and all, but she's so serious, and she's some kind of unstoppable warrior now. You know she wasn't like that on Earth. Just scares me to think...I could turn into that. Not that she doesn't have good qualities, but whatever they are the scary stuff overshadows them."

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey. I'll stop you from going too nuts. Just promise to do the same for me. I mean, if there's magic here that I can learn, you better believe I'm not getting any sleep and am going to be learning everything I can instead."

He smiled. "I promise to drag you back to bed. It's not just magic, though. We also have to learn how to handle swords, bows, and probably fight on Nym's back. Don't know if we're prepared for that."

"We can give it a try."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Once they had talked for a bit, a knock came to the door. Outside would be Mahara, who had called for Nemune, and Judy. Nym had of course followed Nemune back to the room, and walked in to nuzzle and twine around the humans' legs. He murred happily and glanced at Nemune every once in a while, wagging his tail.

"Here are your clothes." Mahara said, handing them two sets of casual clothing. It looked similar in style to what Aer seemed to wear, but the coloring and markings were made to look like those that were on Nym's fur. The mark of a taelesol, clothing and armor to match their companion. "Once you've changed, please come out. We'll take you to get some food and then begin your training."

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler smiled and gave Nym a little pet as he twined in between him and Claire. Nemune nuzzled Mahara's leg, as high on affection as the younger dragon-wolf. She blended into Mahara's white dress, her blue stripes just slightly off from the dress.

"Thanks, Mahara. We'll be out in a bit," he replied. He and Claire dressed then, Tyler wearing some simple pants, a shirt that tied in place with a sash, and a leather vest. Both the vest and pants were the same red-brown as Nym's fur, and his shirt and the sash were white. He crossed the shirt over and tied everything in place. The shoes he was also given looked fairly comfortable, aside from the wooden bottoms.

For Claire, she had a dress that could also be tied, with pins to hold it in place, and pants that would be hidden under the fabric. She slipped on the sleeveless shirt that came with it, then tied the kimono-type dress around her with a white band behind her back. Like Tyler, her clothes also matched Nym's fur. She held up the shoes and set them aside. "I'm not wearing these shoes, though. Would feel better in my sneakers."

"Yeah, I'm thinking about keeping my shoes on, too," he replied. "Guess we're all set."

They opened the door to find the women waiting for them. Judy was kneeling down and nuzzling her nose into her dragon-wolf's, a big, dark grey and green male with really long horns. And now, he finally could see the harness placed on his back and finally know the beast's name - Dartmoor.

"Ready when you are," Tyler said to Mahara, looking down as their dragon-wolves nuzzled each other again.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara also looked down as Nym came out and rubbed his head into Nemune, the Aer having gotten quite a bit of affection from the female before the door opened back up. She looked them up and down, frowning a little at their shoes. "You'll need to change yoru footwear before we teach you magic. The materials in them will interfere with the flow of power." she said, but then smiled and turned to lead the way.

They walked through the temple to the main city, where they walked down a level from where the temple was and then to the same restaurant that Nemune had grabbed the steaks from before. She smiled and opened the door, holding it for both humans and dragonwolves before heading in herself. "I'm going to be paying, don't worry. You'll get your own income soon.. but for now, feel free to get what you want." she paused, and they were led to a table where they all sat down.

"Just tell me and Judy what you're hungry for, we'll translate." she smiled, knowing they couldn't read the menu so they would have to find what best fit their desire.

 

[Quiet One]

"Most shoes are rubber-soled. Does that mean your 'magic' involves electricity?" Claire cupped her chin in thought, but Judy shook her head and scratched Dartmoor's head. The big male had a neutral expression, but his wagging tail betrayed his enjoyment at the attention.

"Don't think too much into it," she said. "There's no point trying to link science from our world in here."

Tyler, for his part, didn't even bother getting that far, and just walked hand in hand with Claire as they were led to the restaurant. They got a table set for four people, but in an area a little cut off from the rest of the restaurant, as there was space to accommodate their dragon-wolves. He smiled as he saw Nym and Nemune sitting on one side of the table, Nemune by Mahara and Nym by him. He looked at the menu and frowned, not able to read a word of it just like they said.

"Do you have cows here?" he asked. "Would love some steak or beef ribs."

"Mm...sounds good," Claire nodded.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara looked over at Tyler as he spoke, and then to Claire, and then nodded. "We don't have 'cows' but there is a beast similar to what Judy told us your 'bison' are, Shoryl we call them. They are grazers that live in the plains beyond the forest, and one of our game beasts. You will bring one down as a part of your training." she said. Perhaps it would not seem like such a task, but once one was seen it would be clear why.

After a while, what would be the waitress came up, Introducing herself as Eirin, and proceeded to speak with Judy and Mahara. Once Judy ordered, Mahara got herself a plate of noodles with steak strips and cheese while getting the humans a steak each. She nodded and went away, leaving them to wait for their food to arrive.

 

[Quiet One]

"Wait, you want me to kill an innocent animal as part of my training?" Tyler asked. "That's...kind of messed up."

"We'll eat it afterwards, so it doesn't go to waste," Judy butted in. She gave a dry smirk. "But if you think it's going to be easy...just wait. Pandrylyrs aren't the only things that get big here. Besides, after killing that monster yesterday it should be fine for you."

"You really are kind of dark," Claire commented. "So what all will we be learning? Combat's been established, but is that all we're covering today?"

Judy looked to Mahara. "It seems likely. Magic is much harder to learn that swordsmanship. Though since you were able to come here on your own, I think we're going to make that a priority."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

"Judy told me though that there are still yet some people who hunt in your world. And that the way most of your meat is gathered is less... humane than hunting. Keeping them clumped up like that..." Mahara shook her head to stop her thoughts just as the meals arrived. A bow of her head to the waitress was given as thanks. Both Tyler and Claire got a steak with something that seemed a baked potato, and a salad. At the very least it seemed that foods were very similar, as both Mahara and Judy's dishes would look familiar too.

As for drinks, they got just glasses of water, while Mahara got something that looked like a dark beer. "I figured you would want to ease into certain things - like drinks." she smiled at the two newcomers, readying herself to eat. "Enjoy your food, we'll be getting you equipment after this late lunch."

 

[Quiet One]

"Well, when you put it like that..." Tyler trailed off uncomfortably. That was a good point. There was necessity to that kind of animal cruelty though, and that made things more complicated. Crammed conditions equaled more food for a growing population.

"It's not like we aren't trying to fix that in our world," Claire retorted. "It's something several animal rights movements are working to correct - "

She was cut off by the food arriving. The four stared awkwardly at each other before getting to dinner. The steak was good, much tougher than beef from earth, but rich in flavor. The potato was big and hearty, too. Tyler felt a little odd drinking water instead of milk or soda, but he had to admit it was pretty clean at least.

"You know, the animal problem is just endemic of a bigger problem," Judy brought up. "Overpopulation. Across the mountains of this whole world there's less than three million Aer. How many humans are there back home? 7 billion. I'm not saying this world doesn't have its problems - " she looked at Mahara briefly " - but every time we solved one problem back home, it seemed like six more issues were created BY that solution. Here it's not perfect, but at least it's less complex."

"I can see the appeal of a simple life," Claire nodded while taking a bit of her salad. "But the modern world has a lot to offer. For example, I don't really want to think about how you deal with waste up here in the mountains. There's really only one way - straight down the cliffs. You've probably got a landfill at the base of these peaks."

"Partially true, but it's all biodegradable here," Judy argued. It'll look ugly at first, but by the end of a season it's all turned to mulch. Not to say there isn't...contamination issues once in a while." She swirled her finger around her glass of water, causing the liquid to jump and spin following her movement. "That's where knights like me come in, with water-based pandrylyrs. See - the problems have easy solutions."

"All except for those dark dragon-wolves," Tyler added. "Sounds like you've been fighting them for a really long time. Don't have an easy solution for that, do you?"

Judy sighed. "Like I said; it's not perfect here."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara had returned Judy's glance and went back to her food, listening to the three humans debating about their world. She was not knowledgable enough to add anything of much value to the topic, unlike her old mentor, so she simply stayed quiet. At least until the end, when she spoke up.

"Judty told me of your people's wars... they never seemed to have easy solutions from what I learned." she said, playing a little with her noodles. "And this isn't necessarily a war.. it's almost as much a part of our fight for survival as eating, drinking.." she shook her head. "It's not ideal, but it's been happening for generations." she explained, about halfway done with her meal by this point.

 

[Quiet One]

"Heh. I think we'd say that about pollution," Tyler joked. After taking another bite of his steak, he noticed Nym staring at him with his mouth open. "What?" Nothing. Tyler rolled his eyes. "You already have food. You really want your lady friend to see you begging?" Nemune turned and cocked her head, then opened her mouth too. He sighed and tossed a bit of steak in each of their hungry maws. "You two really are made for each other."

"Anyway, my biggest hesitation wasn't really anything moral," he went on. "It's...different, being expected to kill to feed yourself. It just...makes things feel more personal, you know?"

"That I can understand at least. As knights we protect the Aer, so killing is against our code and we try to avoid it wherever we can," Judy nodded. "Just promise me you'll do it when you have to. Lives are literally on the line here. As Mahara said, it's a matter of survival."

Tyler nodded back. "I'll do my best."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Soon enough, they were finished eating and Mahara paid with some coins, standing up. She smiled to the others and gestured for them to follow along. "When we get to the armory, Tyler, you'll have some armor made for you already, looks like Nym and will resonate with his abilities. Until we figure out what you're good with, Claire, you'll have some nice leather armor to wear and practice in. As for weapons... you craft your own, as part of your training." she smiled over at the two humans, Nym bouncing around them all with a wagging tail. "First thing we need to do, after the armor, if to get some of Judy's old translation and translated texts for you to learn from."

 

[Quiet One]

"How the hell did you get armor made for me already?" he asked as they left the restaurant. "Don't you need my measurements or something?"

"Well, most of the armor is all the same," Judy shrugged. "We just had to magically link it to you and Nym, which - no - doesn't necessarily require you to be there. The armor was already built and treated with magical properties. That's why we can't just give Claire the same armor; no pandrylyr, no special protection. We're going to have to work on a way around that. Still might need to fix a few straps."

When they got to the armory they found an old male Aer, wiping some sort of multicolored liquid off a set of armor on a mannequin. It was a red-brown and white suit, matching Nym's fur. The mannequin was also a little bigger than Tyler, only convincing him that it'd need to be synched up a little more.

"Ah, Mahara. And this must be the two new humans from the other world," he nodded. "I was just finishing up the last coat for the Taelesol armor. Try it on, boy. You've got a skinny build, so I might have to tighten it. And you, Miss - " he turned to Claire. "Let's get you fitted for some shoryl leather."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahra smiled and watched as the older Aer helped Claire and Tyler, making a gesture for Judy to come over to her, Nym prancing over to an in-progress suit of Pandrylyr armor that was being made for him. Once she came over, Mahara sighed a little and rubbed her head. "Sometime, we need to show them the squad dorm. And introduce them to Neema and Temin." she said, looking over at them as Tyler got on his armor. "The council told me that they will for sure be a part of our team, so it's everyone's responsibility to help train them."

 

[Quiet One]

"Won't that be fun to watch?" Judy smirked back as Tyler had some help strapping on his armor. "I have to admit, the armor's a good look for him. He almost looks like a Taelesol." She ribbed her with her elbow and winked. "Almost."

"This is pretty stiff," Tyler said as he moved around in his armor. His shoulders had rectangular pads over them that crossed over his chest too, a breastplate, and a partial metal skirt with armored boots. And of course, all colored to match Nym's fur. "I mean, once you tighten things up it fits all right, but all the leather's hard to move."

"You just need to build some muscle and give it a little time to wear," the armorsmith said as he measured Claire's height and around her waist. He nodded to her. "The same goes for you, little lady. You have to strong to make the leather move."

"Very strong," Judy added. "I can bench 220 since moving here. Used to be...well, like you Claire."