The Mercy of Inhalla

Shortly after Nero had left Cora alone with her thoughts, she was joined in the baths by a startled Ihana, and the two women aired out their somewhat dusty conversational skills.

Scrubbing away the layers of dirt and salt on her body brought Cora an immense pleasure she had not experienced in years. She watched in delight as the filth peeling off of her skin was wicked away by the gently moving water; either the pool was blessed with some magical, self-cleaning property, or it had a remarkably efficient filtration system- in any case, it was extremely satisfying to watch literal years' worth of scum dissolving in the span of a few seconds. While bathing in the sea did remove most dirt and larger particles, it had also filled her pores with a mixture of salt and grit that was almost impossible to remove while living near the ocean. Having a pool of fresh, clean water to bath in was an unaccustomed luxury Cora was absolutely thrilled to have at her disposal.

After the initial rinse, the woman took a bar of soap that smelled like lemongrass and went over her skin a second time, making sure to scrub even the hard-to-reach places that needed cleaning. She washed the bubbles away, then quickly removed her smallclothes and scrubbed those as well, though paranoia made her slip them back on once they had been thoroughly washed. Although Cora was not usually self-conscious about her body, she didn't want to risk exposing herself to the other riders on only their first night together. The woman hummed a sea shanty as she reached for her other clothes next, pulling them into the crystalline water for some much-needed attention.

Ihana couldn't bear to put Kalli down. If she put her down, then she would have nothing to prove that this wasn't one big dream. Maybe Kalli would pick someone else... Maybe they would kick her out... There was too much she couldn't handle about leaving Kalli alone in the cavern. (what if someone took her?) In the end, she simply gathered up the dragonling in her arms and carried her to the meeting that she had been forced to come to. Only half-listening to the words, she just shook her head when the woman asked for questions. There were no questions in her mind when she looked at the little purple and black dragon in her arms.

Finally the meeting was finished after some heated discussion, and finally Ihana was free to go back to the cavern and gently awaken Kalli, feeding her before putting her to sleep again. This time she did manage to leave her in the room provided, simply because her arms were aching from holding the dog-sized animal for hours. Now that Kalli was sleeping, and wouldn't wake up for hours, Ihana was free to do her own exploring.

There seemed to be only one central hallway and as Ihana wandered down it, away from the entrance hall, her senses alerted her to the presence of a large body of water. Yes... There was a bath here, wasn't there? This must be it. Dropping her gaze to the ground, Ihana sighed softly and slumped her shoulders. A bath sounded nice... And she would have to take it when no one else was around, so this was the perfect time. Not even bothering to look at the water, assuming the splashing sounds came from the movement of water against the sides of the basin, Ihana stripped herself of her clothing and stepped into the water.

It was the most heavenly thing she had felt. The last time she had gotten a bath was weeks ago, and even that was just a dump in a cold mountain river to get the dirt off of her. This... This was amazing. Sighing and tipping her head back, Ihana brushed her hair back from her face, revealing the hideous scars left on her face and body. Three scars trailed down the side of her face, starting right beneath her right eye and extending all the way down her neck. Another three traced a line from her upper back to her hip, curving around her body and stopping right before it got to the junction of her thighs.

Only after she had revealed her scars did Ihana finally notice the other woman in the bath with her. She promptly shrieked.

The green-eyed sailor had barely rinsed her clothes when she heard the sound of another quietly entering the bath; glancing over, she saw another woman strip and enter the water with a soft sigh, apparently too distracted to notice Cora wallowing in the corner. Feeling too awkward for words, the fisherwoman splashed around in what she hoped was a conspicuous manner while simultaneously averting her eyes. It wasn't long before the newcomer let out an ungodly shriek, letting Cora know that her presence had finally been noticed.

"Hey, sorry to scare you," she said guiltily, idly scrubbing at a grimy pair of socks to avoid staring at the other woman's nakedness. It would be a long two years if every bath encounter began with such a shriek. "You can stay, I won't be long." A moment of silence passed, but the sailor didn't hear the sounds of a hasty retreat, so she continued. "Cora. With the Silver dragon." As she worked some soap into the socks, the woman strained to remember the newcomer's name, but found herself at a loss.

Ihana simply stared at the woman, her mind blank. All she could think about was... Did she see? She found herself unable to speak, years of bitterness and rejection and hatred boiling up in her mind. And yet, her little Kalli and this woman, Cora, didn't even blink at her scars, didn't hesitate before reaching out. How on earth did she deserve this? Maybe it really was a mistake...

"I am Ihana." She finally managed to say, her head tilting forward in an automatic gesture meant to swing her hair over the scars on her face, hiding them from view. However, the water made them cling and refuse to move, so she scraped them into place with her fingers before carefully covering the scars on her side with the placement of her arms and remaining hair. "With Kalli, my Bloodstone dragon." Now she was at a loss as to what to say. So few people managed to have a conversation with her, most put off by her scars and rough exterior. Her eyes were downcast, her shoulders hunched forward in a defensive posture. "I-if you would like, I can leave." She said hesitantly, unsure of what else she could do. Cora couldn't want to talk to her, want her to stay... No, the woman probably hadn't even seen her scars. She should go...

Cora was just squeezing the water out of her thick woolen socks when the other rider introduced herself as Ihana, partnered with the Bloodstone dragon. If she remembered correctly, this Ihana was the woman who had carried her little dragon to Akihanna's meeting, and after having taken a look at the stunted, embryonic thing, Cora didn't blame her. The baby dragon wasn't here now, though, likely still sleeping in Ihana's personal chambers; it wouldn't be long before Cora herself had to return to feed the Silver, though she was determined to finish cleaning her stiff clothes before drying off.

To the fisherwoman's surprise, Ihana offered to leave almost immediately after introducing herself and her dragon. Cora glanced at the other woman with inquisitive green eyes to find her in a hunched, defensive position, long and dark hair meticulously scraped over her facial scars and acting as a curtain to shield the rest of her body. 'Is she hiding her scars?' Cora thought, wondering what must have happened to have caused disfigurement, and, more importantly, why Ihana seemed so ashamed of it. In Salt Haven, sailors and clan leaders often boasted of their scars, telling extravagant stories about things that had tried, and failed, to kill them. It wasn't just the men, either; women liked to show off the stretch marks and scarring they had earned from childbearing, arguing that their children had tried, and failed, to kill them as well.

Regardless of Ihana's motives, it was cruel to force her into a distressing position while she was trying to take a bath. Aiming to alleviate the other woman's discomfort, Cora turned to face the stony wall and reached for another piece of clothing, dragging it into the pool before daring to speak again. "No, really, it's fine. I'm just washing these before whatever happens tomorrow." An awkward silence passed as the fisherwoman scrambled for words. "Kalli- um. That's a nice name," she fumbled, furiously scrubbing her tunic with soap. The word sounded foreign in her tongue, prompting the woman to ask, "Where you from?" Small talk wasn't Cora's strong suit, but she was genuinely curious about the beautiful and scarred rider, and figured she ought to be friendly to someone she'd be living with for the next two years.

Ihana felt her face flush with shame as the other woman turned and glanced at her for a long moment, finally turning away to continue her washing. She didn't move for a moment, before hesitantly uncurling from her scared position and beginning to wash herself in the warm flowing water. "I come from the mountains." She responded quietly, still unable to look directly at Cora."Kalli means precious - and that is what she is to me. Young as she is, Kalli loves me for who I am, and I cannot help but love her back." Oh gods, what on earth was she saying? And to a stranger, of all people!

Ihana scrubbed furiously at her skin, watching the red blossom on her body as the rough treatment sent her blood pumping. Oh, how she wished she could simply scrub her scars away... But no. They would be with her forever, an everlasting mark of what she had lost. "Where are you from, Cora?" She asked, mostly in an attempt to stave off the tears forming in her eyes, but also because she was curious about the other woman. If Ihana did stay (pretty much a given at this point), then it was good to get to know her fellow riders.

As Cora held the old tunic underwater, swishing it back and forth to rinse it of soap, a quiet voice spoke up from somewhere behind her. Listening intently, the fisherwoman nodded in appreciation when Ihana mentioned her origins. Mountainfolk were similar to seamen in that both peoples' cultures were structured around the natural world, something city dwellers and merchants had trouble understanding. The woman listened on, now with slightly more respect for her companion than before. "Kalli loves me for who I am," Ihana added at one point, confirming Cora's suspicion that the other rider had been trying to hide her scars. The sailor felt a pang of sympathy. She didn't know what had caused Ihana to become so ashamed of her body, but whatever it was had done a thorough job.

"Kalli is nice," She repeated, the corners of her mouth turning up a little. "I haven't named my boy yet." Cora was at a complete loss on the matter; a dragon deserved a noble name, but she was hardly qualified to give it. Sighing as she turned out one leg of her breeches, the woman answered, "I'm from Salt Haven- well, I believe the merchant name is Port Syren." The unfamiliar words felt awkward and stiff on her lips; new traders fresh from the city were easy to pick out because they either called the port by its formal name, or had been fooled into using one of the other Clans' name for the seaside town. The more experienced merchants knew to use the title specific to the family they were doing business with- and for the Morgans, that name was Salt Haven.

Having finished washing each article of clothing she had worn into the baths, Cora pulled herself out of the pool in one swift motion, coming to rest on her haunches as she wrung the water out of her tunic. Suddenly feeling uncertain, the fisherwoman paused for a moment, still facing away from Ihana. "This whole thing ... It's all real, isn't it?" she asked hesitantly, wiping a wet piece of hair from her forehead. "I mean. I just- it's dragons. And I'm me. You know?" Lacking the eloquence to put her doubts into finer words, Cora could only hope that the other rider would understand.

Ihana nodded as the other woman spoke of her origins in the city of Port Syren, or Salt Haven as Cora called it. There was a long silence and she was contemplating either leaving or speaking out when Cora spoke haltingly about feelings Ihana was sure she was the only one to feel. "I... I understand completely. I'm not worthy of this honor... Kalli is much more than I deserve." Unbidden, her eyes fell to the hated scars that covered her body. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her kind, she finally glanced at the other woman.

"But I'm not going to leave... No, I'm going to stay until they kick me out. Kalli is too good to give up, and I'm sure your Silver baby is just the same. They need someone right now... And at the moment we're all they've got. If later they don't need us anymore..." Here she swallowed heavily, but continued speaking. "If later they don't need us anymore, then we'll know we've done a good job. And that's all we can ask for." Hopefully that helped Cora out slightly... Like her, Ihana wasn't good at speaking about her emotions or thoughts.

It was a relief to hear Ihana understand and agree with her uncertainties, even adding a few words of encouragement in what the sailor thought was an attempt to soothe her nerves. Cora was silent for a moment as she reflected on her companion's sudden show of tenacity. Despite her problems, Ihana seemed determined to do her best, and to hear someone who was obviously grappling with heavy issues speak with such conviction was incredibly compelling.

Inspired for the second time that night, Cora scooped up her damp clothes and turned around with a brief half-smile. "Right. Well, I got to go feed my boy," she said, standing to wrap a towel around her torso while holding her crumpled clothes in one tightly clenched fist. Although Ihana was strangely easy to talk to, perhaps due to the fact that Cora had been speaking into a wall for the past ten minutes, the silver would be waking soon and needed her attention. Slipping her wet feet into her old leather boots, the woman walked over to the entrance of the baths and paused to give the other rider a nod. "Thanks. See you tomorrow."

The moment Cora stood up to leave, Ihana immediately went over the last thing she said, trying to figure out if she had offended her in any way and if she should apologize. Sighing softly, she just waved at the other woman and gave her a sad smile. "See you... I guess." She sighed again and ducked under the water one more time, scrubbing furiously at her skin. Gods damn it, she hated herself so much! She was flawed, broken, useless... And right now, she had a dragon to tend to.

She exited the water, not bothering to wash her clothes before drying off and pulling them back onto her body in order to avoid walking around the halls nearly naked and just in a towel. Trying to remember the way back to her room, she was greeted by anxious cries as her little Bloodstone baby came rushing at her. "Poor baby... Are you hungry? Did you miss me?" She murmured to the little dragonling as she headed over to the fresh barrel of meat by the entrance door, Kalli already snapping at her fingers with eagerness.

The silver curtain rustled quietly as Cora entered her chambers, though it was enough to wake the hatchling from his slumber. Blinking drowsily, the albino stretched briefly and slowly padded over to his partner, who was busy trying to find a suitable place to hang her damp clothes; eventually she draped them over her desk and chair, wiggled off her smallclothes from beneath the towel, and threw those onto the desk as well. After securing the towel around her torso, the sailor walked over to a freshly-refilled barrel of meat, and finally answered the hungry pink eyes of her baby dragon.

Watching the newborn fall asleep made Cora realize just how tired she was, so she re-entered her private chamber and gingerly pulled back the silken sheets of her bed, marveling at the luxurious fabric as she slid onto the feather-stuffed mattress. Despite the sumptuous arrangements, the woman had not slept a wink by the time her hatchling woke almost two hours later. Having spent most nights over the past two years on the floor of her wooden dinghy, she was not accustomed to the softness of her new bed- it was almost too comfortable, cushioning her body in all the wrong places. After rising to feed the albino once more, Cora did not return to the plush bed again; instead, she turned her attention to the wooden chest at its base.

Grabbing a sheet in her fist, the fisherwoman climbed into the chest and made herself a nest of sorts, settling into a corner with her legs curled up inside. With thick wooded walls surrounding her, Cora finally felt secure enough to doze off, though not before a thought blessed her tired mind like a cool breeze. Cassius. A distant memory of her father surfaced; he held her close in a small boat as they stared up at the night sky together, rocking gently atop the dark velvet waves. ‘That one is called Cassius, the Dragon,’ he had told her, guiding her small hand to point at a cluster of shimmering stars. ‘His nose points south, away from the Port and toward dragon-infested waters.’ Cora had watched the constellation with reverent green eyes, trying to picture the Dragon flying over them. ‘You’ll have to know these things when you’re a Captain,’ Jasper had added, causing his little daughter’s chest to swell with pride. The memory left the taste of ocean salt on Cora’s lips, and she fell asleep with the hatchling’s name echoing through her mind like a sweet song.

When the fisherwoman next woke, a little white nose was sniffing curiously at her hair as short talons scratched idly on the front of the wooden chest. Standing to a chorus of popping and creaking joints, Cora stumbled out of her makeshift bed and threw back the silver curtain, the hatchling following closely on her heels. As she reached into a newly-refilled barrel of meat, the sleepy rider glanced down at her dragon and managed to crack a small smile. “Cassius. What do you think of that- posh enough?” Whether because he genuinely approved or was just hungry, Cassius gave his partner a decisive chirp and licked her hand, then sat back and eyed her fistful of meat. Grinning, Cora tossed a slab toward the hatchling’s open mouth, and proceeded to feed him until, belly full, he retreated to the sand pit once more.

The rest of the day passed quickly despite the frequent feeding breaks, and after the third or fourth session Cora heard the riders being called into the main hall once again. Night, already? The sailor thought, hurriedly shoving on her dried clothes and stomping into worn leather boots. It felt strange to wear such clean, soft clothing; before washing, her tunic and breeches had been stiff with salt and caked with dirt, her hair flattened and tangled. As Cora ran a hand through her newly-cleaned, fluffy curls, she couldn’t help but wonder if any of the other riders would even recognize her from the night before. She decided that it didn’t matter, and hurried to tie up the laces of her tunic. Although his belly was full of meat, Cassius took interest in the frantic actions of his rider, and followed close on her heels as she strode through the silver curtain and out into the hallway.

The pair entered the main hall just as Nero’s jovial voice began to fill the cavern, briefly explaining the night’s schedule and inviting them to sit. Cora settled near Ihana with a small wave, but was distracted when her sleepy dragon plopped down into her lap without warning. The woman began to stroke his neck, and watched in wonder as a great, fiery dome surrounded the group, followed by a secondary burst of fire that materialized into the form of a dragon. At this point, Cassius stopped gawking at the two adult dragons in the room and turned his attention to the skeleton model, apparently sharing his rider’s rapt interest in the lesson. The pair paid close attention to Nero’s instruction; Cora had never received an education in healing or biology before, and was completely astounded by the new information, while little Cassius was just delighted to see three-dimensional versions of himself pan in and out of the makeshift screen. When the lecture ended, both dragon and rider reluctantly rose to their feet, and returned to their room for another feeding.

Forgoing a nap had taken its toll on the baby dragon, who was almost too tired to eat: almost. Although Cora had to hand-feed hunks of meat to the hatchling when his coordination began to lag, Cassius managed to finish the entire barrel before passing out at his rider’s feet. Cora heaved a sigh, glancing into the empty barrel as her stomach growled with longing. Despite the sailor’s hunger, she stopped herself in the middle of a sour thought; in only 24 hours, she had been gifted a baby dragon, a thorough bath, a clean bed, and a wealth of new information. It was a crime to feel ungrateful.

The woman bent to pick up her limp, white dragon, and hefted him onto her hip with some difficulty. "Is it just me, or have you gotten fatter in the past day?" She grumbled, shifting the hatchling's weight a little and taking a few paces toward the curtain. Eventually the rider managed an uneven, swinging gait, and re-joined the group in the main cavern within a minute or two.

Cora was astounded by all of the baby dragons gathered in the assembly; one tall, powerful-looking woman held a hatchling whose scales shone in all colors of the rainbow. Two men sitting near one another had pale red and green dragons, and another tall woman was seated near a hatchling that shimmered with gold. Ihana's stunted newborn looked far less developed than the others, although Cora hid her curiosity with a half-smile and continued observing the other pairings, taking special care to avoid Khajju and his dragon. She didn't want to repeat the panic attack that had happened on the lakeshore, especially in front of her new peers, and tried to ignore the merchant's presence altogether.

With aching arms the sailor sat down, holding the sleeping albino in her lap and instinctively stroking his head and neck once more. Nero called for the tall brunette's colorful dragon, which she gave begrudgingly after a moment of hesitation. Cora ran her hands over Cassius's wings, and looked up at Akihanna for further instruction.
 
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Eile Mizer

The daylight seem to pass way too quickly as Eile quickly found herself feeding Remilia her meal. No doubt, Eile was still not amused at her current position as Remilia quickly chirped for another meat. Eile herself was more exhausted then usual as one of her dreams turned into a memory of one of her past kills. A group of mercenaries that Eile took out. Just to rescue a child of a poor family. The Green Murderer groaned as the last meat was fed to Remilia before she heard someone calling for everyone.

"Joy. What do they want now. It better not be more of 'My god needs your help' talk." Eile snarled as she grabbed the Wayfinder and the Crow's Scythe before making her way toward the door.

Behind her, Eile heard a slight thud as she turned and saw Remilia trying to follow her.

"I think not. You will sleep here." Eile commanded looking at the small dragon trying to follow her.

Remilia ignored Eile's command as she wobbled her way up to Eile's leg. The green haired girl only sighed at this.

"Right. On your head then." Eile mumbled as she scooped Remilia into her arms and marched her way out to the main hall, where she saw Aki, Nero, and the rest of the group there. She kept quiet as Nero encased everyone in a violet purple fire dome.

He proceeded to talk about the anatomy of the dragon. Eile kept tabs on key portions of the lesson. It'll give her an advantage during the first two years in case she needs to make someone work with her. After all, threaten the kid and the adult will cave. Remilia squirmed in Eile's arms as it chirped.

Alright, everyone! Since your dragons survived the night, I would say you have a handle on feeding. Just in case, I will come down with you, and so will Aki and Xanras. Xaria, if you would, please stay up here for the time being.

Joy. Back to nanny. Grow up faster so I don't have to feed you by hand.

With that thought, Eile returned to her cell/cave as she fed Remilia her first nightly meal before Remilia chirped in contentment before wobbling over to Eile. She scooped Remilia back up and brought her to the Main hall for the next portion of the lesson.

Alright, now that they are plump and sleepy, it’s time to stretch their wings. Because baby dragon wings get little to no exercise in the first six months, it’s imperative that they are stretched every day after the first feeding so the bones don’t lock up during growth."

Eile watched with slight interested as Nero suggested that Aki stretched Nari's dragon as Remilia eyed Eile.
 
[fieldbox="The Lessons Begin, green, dashed, Andale Mono"]
Theolyn.png
Still having very little to say in this, having no issues with the gods or god or whoever might have been floating above the planet, Theo listened silently to the questions and complaints of others. He watched as Mauras stormed away, smiling at the stuttered explanation of the dragon before returning to the words of those around him. When everyone was done, he felt relief.

But that relief was very short lived as friend leaned over beside him and spoke in a low, frantic whisper. His face grew soft as he looked at the stressed and somewhat frightened look on Haern’s face, but he shook his head. Yet, before he could even say anything, his arm was grabbed, and he was all but dragged back towards the quarters area and the room beside which Haern’s name was carved.

Within, Theo found himself with a feeling of horror, immediately reaching into the barrel, gagging slightly, and gently pulling the still sleeping baby out. She wreaked of old meat, but even the movement could not bring her out of her stupor. Gently, without a word to Haern, he cooed at the little dragonling and cradled her as he carried her to the center of the warm sand pit, where he laid her down and watched her curl into a tight ball.

The first look he gave Haern was one of anger, but it quickly softened. Theolyn knew that his friend had never handled an animal before. After all, the Windlark that the man rode was cared for by the farmer, and Haern didn’t even know how to give the bird a treat for her hard work. “Haern, you can’t just toss her into a barrel and let her feed herself two hours after hatching! She could choke! And then leaving her in the barrel makes her trapped. What if she hiccupped? What if she woke and you weren’t there? She would panic and likely hurt herself.

He stood, looking at his friend sternly. “Look, I get that you’ve never raised an animal before…I get that you haven’t even really enjoyed being around them. But it should be obvious by now that that little dragon over there wants only you. She could care less about me or anyone else, and I have my own little one to care for.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

Having heard Haern correct himself, calling the little dragon a she instead of an it, Theo knew that a part of him wanted to care about her. Inside, the farmer knew that this only frustrated his dear friend more. Yet he knew that if anyone could convince Haern, it was him. So he needed a way to convince him now.

Haern, listen to me.” He placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders, his chocolate gaze catching that of the man before him. “We have been searching all over Kabola for Khali since we met, and you were searching for her before I knew you. It’s been four years! And not a single trace. The one thing I heard more often from these strange people….and creatures….is that we won’t be able to find what we are searching for without these dragons.

He sighed then, trying desperately to find the right words. “I know what they’re asking for is more time than you would like. But what if that little dragon over there can help you find her? What if she is what you need? Yes, it means playing mother hen when you clearly don’t have the knack for it. But it also means that when she has grown up enough to carry you as her rider, she might just take you to find your wife.

He knew what Haern would think next. How did he know? How would something so tiny be the key to finding the one thing he loved most? Releasing Haern's shoulders, he backed up and gave a small shrug. “I can’t give you the answers right now. But…I feel it in my gut. That this is the right thing for both of us. I know it’s hard to grasp that. But for once, Haern…I’m not afraid. And you shouldn’t be, either. Please, trust me…we will find Khali. We will find her, and you can be with her again. It will just take some more time.” Internally, he hoped that for now, this would be enough to satisfy his dear friend. But at the same time, he knew his words could easily backfire on him.

Haern watched the way his friend handled the small dragon, furrowing his brow as he set it down into the lowered space in the room which had been filled with a black, fine-grain sand. To Haern, this seemed like a ridiculous place to put an infant. If the dragon was going to choke on anything, surely she'd inhale and choke on the sand. Furthermore, she was coated in the stuff now as it stuck to the blood from the meaty bed she had been taken from.

"Oh come on, friend! She's a dragon! A wild animal! Surely the mother dragon doesn't tend so dearly to her offspring in the wild? How could a massive beast ensure such a small thing survives? These things make no sense..." He grumbled to himself as Theo began explaining to him why he himself could not care for the little red drake.

"Theolyn, you know as well as I do that sometimes the things we want are not the things we need. I am no good for this small creature, and despite her dislike towards it, it'd simply be better for her if you were to care for her. You can handle a ranch of windlarks, surely you can handle an extra dragon infant...." But Theolyn was not budging. How annoying! He needed his friend now more than ever, and of all things he needed Theo's knack for animals, one of the things he and his companion had rarely seen eye to eye on. And yet, he was standing there being told that he would receive no such help.

When mention of the small dragon one day helping him to find Khali came up, Haern felt a bitter tone seep into him. "And what if I die trying to raise this thing up and fight for Inhalla? Hmm? Who's to say Her will isn't to keep me away from Khali! How can everyone be so sure of some Goddess no one has ever seen!" Annoyed, he realized he was raising his voice and as the small dragon began to stir, he quickly hushed himself, not wanting to deal with the thing if it woke up.

His friend's next words were spoken with more care and concern and less so in a lecture-like manner. As Theolyn's friendship with Haern made itself more apparent, as it so often did, Haern couldn't help but recoil from his anger, though his misery remained.

"I feel there will never be any answers. I have no say in my fate. I have had my free will taken from me, I've been stripped of my life, my choices, my desires. And instead of seeking what I long to seek, I'm stuck caring for a glorified lizard... Gods be damned. Why?" He shook his head and moved over to the same wall he'd been sitting against earlier, his worn satchel slouched nearby, and slumped down, staring at the ground as his upset flourished. He felt helpless, weak, and over all he felt an anger towards the little dragon in the center of the room.

"Blasted be the bloody thing that chose me, that's all I can say." Frankly, he thought it was completely ridiculous that these dragon riders couldn't handle a couple of baby dragons on their own without needing to steal others away from their lives to tend to them, like kidnapping the sitter. He was annoyed that he was forced into a job he did not seek out and then chastised for doing it incorrectly. "Why can't the dragon from the cave... Xaria? Was it? Why can't she look after the little one? She seems not to like my manner of care anyways so why can't she do it herself? If these dragons are so important they should be treated as such and my care is certainly far from doing so."

Theolyn smiled at his dear friend at the man’s ignorance, shaking his head. “No creature is fearsome as a baby. Not even a dragon. I truly don’t see dragons as the uncaring kind to leave their offspring alone without good reason.” He continued to talk and lecture, as he often did without realizing it, until Haern once more spoke.

He paused and listened for a moment, pursing his lips in thought. “Dragons are not as easy to care for as Windlarks. Those little birds will sleep for days after they hatch, and their metabolism doesn’t start to kick in until they’re a few days old. With dragons, I’ve already seen how different and more demanding they are.” He took another look towards the little red dragon, smiling softly. “You know, just looking at her, she reminds me of your fire. I do think that, if you give her a chance, you will see just how capable you are.” Still, he continued, explaining all the reasons to keep going. And still, he continued to frustrate Haern, much like a thorn in a toe.

He furrowed his brow at such an accusation. “Die? Really? Do you honestly think that that little creature, who is so desperate for your attention, could ever harm you? Besides, you aren’t fighting now, are you? None of us are fighting. Not yet. By the time she is older, you will have a choice to stay or go. Hell, if you want, you can go now…but I wouldn’t advise it. I get the feeling you wouldn’t make it off the island.” He scratched his stubble a moment, looking towards the ceiling. “From what I’ve read, no one has made it on this island in more than a decade.” This, of course, was said more to himself.

Collecting his thoughts, Theolyn cleared his throat. “Besides, if this Inhalla goddess person has actually watched over us without interfering, what’s to say she doesn’t know where Khali is? Maybe if you do this one thing for her, she’ll tell you…through your dragon. I mean, what have you got to lose? We have been everywhere with no trace. Maybe the one place she is requires a dragon.

When he spoke again, he watched the anger drain from Haern’s face, leaving only his pain as open as a gash on his chest. Theo nudged the man’s arm. “It’ll be okay, Haern…you aren’t stripped of everything. You’re still you, and you’ll still have a chance to find her. That chance just isn’t now. Sure, you’ll have to take care of this one for a while, but who’s to say she won’t be just what you need?

He watched the man back up and slide down the wall, sighing. After a moment, the famer decided to join him, sliding down the wall with his knees bent to rest his elbows on. “I don’t think it’s all that bad. Besides…maybe she can teach you a few tricks with fire.” Of course, this had little effect on the miserable cloud beside him. At the mention of Xaria taking care of the baby, the man just chuckled and shook his head. “I get the feeling that one is still a little too young to raise a baby. While she has the instincts, I think at this stage she would accidentally crush the little one. Besides, I feel as though these dragons were built to be cared for by humans. Perhaps they’re a little hardier than I’m giving them credit for.” He gave a shrug, sighing. Honestly, there was no winning this battle.

Haern rolled his eyes, letting out a frustrated huff before running his hands down his face which was beginning to get clammy due to the humidity in the island cave. He looked over at Theolyn, he dear friend, his one piece of normalcy and comfort in this place, and saw a man who was not prepared to take Haern's side in all this. How annoying. But then, Theo had always annoyed Haern to some degree with all his elf-like banter about the woods and animals. It was part of why Haern was so fond of him: the man was annoyingly kind... and in this case, annoyingly right. What could Haern do? There appeared to be nothing but the path of fate to follow in this adventure and no way to escape it.

"I'm not sure I can jump on the 'Inhalla' band wagon... I have a hard time even trusting in Industrin.. but it would appear there's nothing I can do. We're trapped in the hands of a goddess. And death doesn't seem so far off, dear friend. Image what would happen if this little thing died or got injured while in my care? The black one would squish me!" He sighed again, overall exhausted from all the upset that had occurred that day.

"This shouldn't be on me. It should be the other damn dragon's jobs to raise dragons. It shouldn't be put on humans to fight their fights and raise their young." Still feeling grumpy, he looked over at the sleeping dragon, covered in blood and sand. "What a mess." Though he wasn't entirely talking about the dragon. The idea of it teaching him about fire, however, was one thing that interested Haern. Did the little creature even breathe fire? Should he have to teach it? He pushed the idea from his mind for the time being. He was nowhere near ready to make any plans with the thing.

Looking over at Theo, he shrugged. "What now? I don't suppose this place has any ale...."

Of course, Theolyn remained for a good portion of time with his dearest friend. How could he not? Haern was miserable, and it was obvious to the farmer. But he was right when he said fate had snagged them both, and there seemed to be no getting out of it. Chatting idly for a few more moments, the pair remained in Haern's room until little green feet appeared beneath the folds of the shimmering red curtain, a squawk sounding from the hall. At the demanding call of the little Emerald, Theo bid his friend a good night before walking out quietly, greeting the baby with a pat on her head and a whisper. "You've quite the nose, don't you?"

Together, the pair walked to the very next opening on the same wall, no more than a hundred feet down the walkway. Exhaustion filled the farmer as he noticed a fresh barrel just within the room. Already, he felt himself gag, knowing that he would be doing this often. Might as well get it over with now. Squeezing his eyes closed, he rolled his sleeve up, suddenly realizing that the jacket he had worn was now crusted with the blood that the little Ruby was soaked in. With another sigh, Theolyn shook his head and reached down, grabbing a piece of meat and beginning the second of many rituals of feeding his little dragon the one thing he hated the most.

As she instinctively went to the center of the soft soil, he watched her curl up, the fibers on the tip of her already whip-like tail reaching for and touching the ground. Each one that successfully touched glowed green for an instant before it disconnected and tried once more to touch. When she curled up at the center, all of the fibers reached for and touched the soil, digging down and even managing to move a few pieces of dirt around before settling and glowing a vivid green color. Her body slowly began to darken and turn brown, and as the farmer stared at her, brows furrowed in thought, she blended in like a little pieces of driftwood among the vivid green grass and beautiful flowers.

"You are an odd one, little flower," he whispered, slowly moving towards the smaller doorway towards the back of the room. With her in mind, he began undressing herself, asking so many questions. About his dragon. About his friend. And about this Inhalla. Who was she? Why was she so important? And why did she choose Haern and him?

As he slid his boots off and undressed to nothing but his long tunic, sliding into the surprisingly soft blankets, he fell asleep with dreams of dragons and questions of how he fit into it all.

These dreams would continue between spurts of feedings, where he would awaken to the bites on his hands and the demanding chirps of little Nyteria. And when he finally awoke feeling ready to start the day, he realized that it was night, and he had slept the day away. Sighing, he returned to the noisy dragonling and the fresh barrel of meat in his door. After a few moments of dealing with her feedings, he felt so sick that the thought of putting food in his own system only made him heave. His mouth was dry, his skin saturated with sweat and the wetness of the air. Dressing himself properly as Nyteria went back into her comatose-like slumber, Theolyn made his way to the call of Nero, realizing that many of the other riders had brought their dragons with them. Was I supposed to bring her?

Pushing it out of his mind, he followed everyone out into the main cavern, taken aback by the two massive forms of the dragons in front of the silver window that showed the light of the moons in the skies outside. Seating himself beside Haern, he watched the lesson and made sure to remember the most important parts - particularly the opening at the top of the dragon's mouth. It seemed only moments when the baby dragons in the area had begun to stir, and he was able to hear the frantic calls of his own dragonling. Strange. She was too far away, wasn't she? At that thought, a pain blossomed in his skull, making him feel a sudden bout of dizziness.

Slow to stand, Theolyn found himself at the back of the pack, too sick to move for a moment. Still, he managed to follow the others down, entering his own room only to dry heave beside the barrel of meat. Resting with his hand on the opening of the barrel, his hair curtaining around his face and soaked with sweat, his body trembled as he realized he was on his hands and knees. Beside him, a concerned little dragon nudged his cheek, peeping at him in an almost frightened manner. After another moment to regain himself, he slowly reached up and patted the dragon's head before rising. "It is alright, little flower. I will feed you now. Don't you fret."

Her fear quickly turning into excitement, Nyteria danced in little circles before seating herself back and lifting her front feet up into the air, resting them on the side of the barrel. Had she gotten bigger? It was hard to tell with how dizzy he had become. After a few moments, he managed to give her a few pieces, stopping only to dry heave a few more times, his stomach too dried up to even manage to give him something to vomit up. This continued until the barrel was empty, the little dragon seated beside him and nudging his leg affectionately. Again, he took another moment before smiling down and nodding. "Alright, now. Let's go out and see what they need us to do." With the little dragon in tow, he made his way out to watch what happened next.

As Aki took the little dragon from Nari, she smiled warmly. "I take it he stayed up too late?" Slowly, bidding Nari to follow her, she crouched and lay the baby on the stone floor, spreading his legs out to all sides, tail and head in a straight line. Then, gently, she grabbed his wing closest to her with affectionate, professional hands, one hand on the bone that stretched from the dragonling's back and the other on the bone connected. Slowly, she pulled that bone until it was a near 60 degree angle, the muscles naturally contracting and the joint popping lightly. "Now, you try. All of you, do this with the first and second bone of the wing. Once you hear a pop, don't go any further. If you do, you could break your dragon's wing."

Looking down at Nyteria, who still seemed energetic enough to stay awake, Theolyn smiled. "Well, you heard her, little flower. Let's get those wings stretched, eh?" Crouching, he placed a gentle, yet firm hand on her back, forcing her to sit still. The baby let out a groan, but she didn't move, as though knowing that what he was doing was going to be a good thing. Grabbing the wing closest to him just as Aki had done, he slowly stretched the bones out until he heard a loud pop. Then, looking up at Aki, he watched as she moved her hands to the second joint and did the same, and he mimicked her. As he did so, Nyteria whined a little, squirming.

"Does it hurt, little one? I can be more gentle, then." Stroking the muscles, he massaged her wing a bit, feeling as she relaxed beneath his thick fingers. In fact, her entire body seemed to relax at his workings, making the farmer smile as he felt the warm rush of the whispers that didn't speak words fill him and working through his fingers. "Thank you," he whispered almost silently as he gently pulled the joint until he heard a pop once more.

"Do this with both wings each day. We will do this as a group every evening before breakfast, so be ready for the daily routine. Now, finish this up, and we can go eat." Aki had risen then, nodding down at Nari with a slight smile before backing up a few paces. At her command, Theolyn moved to the other wing, shimmying around the baby instead of turning her. His hands worked the strange power into her muscles, making the baby almost purr with delight as he stretched her wing out until it popped. Once finished, he patted her back and stood up only to watch little golden eyes flutter closed. After only seconds, he could hear tiny snores emanate from the baby's chest.

"When you are done, you may take your dragons and put them to bed. Once we are done eating, we'll be training, and I don't need to see these dragons getting hurt in the process. So everyone will just have to leave them in their rooms."

Nodding at the commanding force of Aki's voice, which had seemed to silence Nero almost completely - almost, because the little dragon seemed to be chattering about something purple in the background - Theolyn scooped up the sleeping dragon and carried her down the hall to her nest, where she lay as he placed her, snoring rather loudly at this point. Once satisfied, the farmer left, and when the entire group had made it back out, they were lead down past the hot chamber of the Obsidian Dragon and into a large opening where a single long table had been placed with five chairs on either side and a larger chair at either end. Atop this table was a series of beautiful bowls filled with still-steaming food as well as glittering plates, each with various cutlery needed for eating. Above was a beautiful chandelier seemingly made of the same strange crystal as the window, the light of the silver flames at each area for a candle glittering through the many facets to bring even more light to the room.

"Go on, then. Sit. Eat. Enjoy." This time, it was Mauras who spoke, stepping forward and claiming one of the chairs at the end of the table. As he began to grab his own bits of food, the others slowly made their way around the table. Aki was quick, taking her own seat at the other end of the table.

Slowly, Theolyn claimed a seat and searched for all of the fruits and vegetables available, gagging at the sight of meat. His skin was clammy and pale at this point, and after filling his plate with as many greens as possible, he downed his glass of water in a single gulp before refilling it and doing so again. After his second time, he sipped the third glass and began digging into his food. Of course, it wasn't the best meal he had eaten, but it would suffice. Already, he felt better than he had when he had woken up.

After about an hour of eating, when there seemed to be more chatter than sounds of faces being stuffed, the two older riders stood and cleared their throats.

"It's time we train in something useful. Each of you will become proficient in a weapon of some sort. Those of you who already are, we'll deal with you momentarily. Those of you who are not, we must find you something to practice for."

Theolyn paled at this, suddenly feeling sick once more at the thought of having to fight. Raising his hand, he cleared his own throat and spoke up. "C-can we just learn...hand to hand or something? Just defensive maneuvers?"

"No. You are potentially going to have to fight creatures of your wildest nightmares. Defending yourself with just your hands is almost laughable. If you cannot pick a weapon, we will pick one for you." Mauras's voice was firm and unwavering, his gray eyes flickering with a small bout of red before returning to normal. "You cannot expect to gain such a creature as a dragon and not learn some sort of way to not only defend yourself, but also defend those around you. Especially that dragon of yours. Believe it or not, your dragon is a fighter. If you are not prepared, she will go to war, and you will die upon her back."

Gulping, the farmer trembled slightly, fear once more coursing through him as he and the group were taken back up the hall towards the main cavern, their meal seemingly disappearing from the table as though it never existed. Just past the entrance into Cora's room was another opening on the wall, which the leading riders entered. Almost immediately after, they took a left into a large room filled with weapons, each varying from the normal short sword to items as strange as a whip made of progressively smaller vertebrae.

Mauras stepped towards a large spear, the same length as the farmer's height, and quickly thrust it into Theolyn's arms. His hands came around it, catching the weapon clumsily before trembling slightly at the thought of holding an object built for killing. After a moment, the grey-eyed rider came forward, grabbing the shaft of the spear just above Theolyn's hands and lifting it a few inches from the ground before slamming it down. As it connected, two blades came out from the sides, no longer than a foot and a half each. "Hey, you can use this as a scythe, too, right old farmer?" Mauras chuckled before turning back and looking at the group.

[spoili]
Hercules-Screen-used-hero-functioning-battle-staff-1.jpg
[/spoili]

"Choose your weapons, those of you who do not already have them. Once you do, we will go and begin our lessons."[/fieldbox]
 
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Leatrix watched as they gave answer to the green girl's question. Her brow was slightly lifted as more and more new information emerged. Only in one day, these dragon riders gave her too much information, shifting her belief in one day was not easy. How could Leatrix believed that her life was a lie? It's not her to be so easily shaken. However, her body was already tired with new experiences she just gone through. Asking more questions would only lead to another explanation which wasn't something she wanna hear right now. The green woman seemed not easy to accept this as well. Leatrix couldn't blame her for Leatrix was also decided to follow what they wanted her to do for now. Maybe, just maybe she would find the 'truth' as time went by. As silence started to fill the area, it was clearly that no one asking another question, Leatrix breathed in relief for now she could have more time to rest her weary body.

Approaching her cave, Leatrix pulled back the curtain only to find Androga wiggling his tail right on her feet, "Already awake?" her forehead frowned in confusion, he was supposed to still sleeping. As she walked in, Androga started to follow her around with his clumsy steps. Leatrix threw her body to the bed while the baby dragon moved happily next to her feet. She sat up and reached her hand to Androga, "Now, I need to sleep too, why don't you go to sleep as well?" Androga responded with his tongue licking her boots, "Hey, it's dirty," Quickly, Leatrix held the baby dragon and put him on his nest, "Go to sleep, we have hectic day tomorrow and I want you to have enough stamina," her voice started to change from caring to firm. Ordering Androga to sleep. Her fatigue drained her patience faster, she might yell at him in second, but she held herself by sighing several times. When she left the baby dragon on his nest, Leatrix started to question herself, How did he... come down? Did he jumped? Seeing that Androga was still as active as he was, Leatrix was sure he didn't hurt himself.

"Stay there," she said while walking backward to her bed. Androga tilted his head while blinking his big eyes, he began to stand up, but Leatrix pointed her finger right away, "No! Please, I don't want to yell at you on our first meeting," Androga seemed to see her tired face so he put his body down, "Listen, I'm not asking you to sleep when you're not sleepy, just give me some time to rest my body. After that, you're free to bother me." Moment later, Leatrix was already fell asleep, while Androga just stared at her and slowly started to sleep.

Night was never this long when Leatrix lived alone. Her sleep interrupted several times by Androga's whine. Leatrix would give him meats to eat and a kiss on his head before she back to her peaceful sleep. Finally, night was passed and morning came. Leatrix's morning was greeted by another whimper from Androga. Just like she did at night, Leatrix told Androga to calm down before she gave him some meat. Androga seemed to accustomed to this habit, he must calmed down or he wouldn't get any of those delicious meat. After putting her clothes and brushed her hair, Leatrix was ready to gather with other outside, ready to receive more information. Before Leatrix out, Androga quickly followed her and bit her boots. He pulled her leg as strong as he could, "What are you doing, little one?"

Leatrix turned her body and crouched to see him better, "You wanna come out?" Androga licked Leatrix's face and flapped his wings softly, "I wanna take you with me, but I don't think now is a good idea," Leatrix patted the baby dragon which made him whimpered, "Stay here, okay?" she rubbed his neck and poked his nose before Leatrix left the cave.

People was already gathered when Leatrix came, some of them brought their dragons, Should I go back and bring Androga as well? Leatrix crossed her arms, but shook her head for it would be better for him to stay at the cave now. Just as she thought, Nero gave another explanation about the dragons, but now with dazzling demonstration which made her understood better. When the lesson finally over, Nero told the dragon riders to go back to their baby dragons once again. Time to feed the 'always-hungry' baby dragon.

Now, Nero asked them to bring their dragon outside. Leatrix smiled and held Androga happily, "See? If you are patient enough, I will bring you with me," Androga also seemed so excitedly, his tail kept waving back and forth and sometimes slapped Leatrix's face when she held him. Luckily, his tail hadn't covered with sharp pikes, so it only left a faint red line on her face. However, it was still hurt. Once she joined other, Androga started to move around in her arms. he couldn't hid his excitement as this was the first time he was outside the cave. The sight of other baby dragons excited him more, "Hey, calm down, Androga," Androga didn't listen to her and instead crawled to her head, messed up her hair and scratched her forehead with his tiny claws, "Agh! Stop it!" Leatrix took Androga from her head and glared at him with anger, "Stop acting like this or I will put you back to the cave!" Androga tried to bite Leatrix's nose but since Leatrix held him far enough, he didn't manage to lay his fangs on her. He growled softly while still moving around, Androga really wanted to come down and explore the area, "Don't test me, kid," Androga looked at Leatrix and stopped moving, his growling changed into whine. Leatrix sighed, "I'm not gonna go easy on you, you should know that," she said, ignoring his whines, but she hugged him closer. Leatrix didn't say anything and she didn't pat nor rub him with affection. Androga of course realized that she was mad, so he stopped whining and leaned his head to her shoulder.

Leatrix looked at the sad dragon which melted her heart, maybe she was too hard on him. Still stayed silent, Leatrix rubbed the back of his head slowly, signalling that she was not mad anymore. Leatrix put him down after she made sure that Androga was calm enough to stand on his own feet. Androga jumped excitedly as his tiny feet touched the cold ground, but he didn't leave Leatrix's side. Sometimes, he walked slightly farther to see another dragon, chirping happily at them. Is he trying to make friends? Leatrix chuckled before focused at Aki who now demonstrating how to stretch the baby dragon's wings. Leatrix crouched and waved at Androga who was walking around excitedly. Androga ran and stumbled on his way several times before he managed to stand in front of Leatrix with his happy face.

Leatrix turned Androga's body and started to follow what Aki did. Step by step, Leatrix stretched Androga's little wings, making sure it popped correctly. Androga moved a lot in the process which made Leatrix felt uneasy, "Do I hurt you?" Leatrix leaned her face closer to see how he was doing. His lively face surely showed that he was okay. Leatrix moved her hand to his right wing, doing the same just like before. Now both of his wings were properly stretched. Androga tilted his head to see his wings and flapped it slowly, but then put his wings close again. After everyone was finished stretching their dragons, Aki told them to put the dragon to sleep, after that they would start training. A faint smile formed on her face as soon as she heard 'training'. Her body had been aching to do some training, relaxing her muscles.

After Leatrix put Androga back to the cave, feeding and tucking him to sleep, Leatrix took Scattish with her and placed it on her belt, didn't forget to bring her whip as well. Following others to the large opening with long table right in the middle. Leatrix hurriedly took seat and smiled in incitement as the smell of food entered her nose. She smiled to her fellow dragon riders before started to eat and filled her empty stomach. The food was delicious since she hadn't eaten since yesterday. Leatrix cleared her throat with a glass of water before taking another meat to her plate. Because she would go training after this, eating more food wouldn't cause any harm and instead would give her more stamina. Putting her spoon and fork on the plate, Leatrix finally finished her meal. Waiting for other to finish their meal, Leatrix observed and watched them carefully. She tried to remember their faces well for they were going to be her brothers in arm. She hadn't spoken with any of them, she just changing smile with some of them. Maybe later she needed to know them more.

Finally the most waited time had come, it's time to do some training. Leatrix played with Scatta with her right hand as they walked back to the main cavern. Leatrix could sense some of the dragon riders were good at weapons just like her, but mostly seemed unfamiliar with weapons. Waiting patiently, Leatrix took a glance at Scatta and Tishe, polishing them one by one with her hands as she saw her reflection on it.
 
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Eile Mizer

The Green Murderer watched as Aki stretched the baby draon's wings until an audible pop was heard. Taking note of the pop, Eile set Remilia on the ground as she began to stretch Remilia's wings out until she heard a pop. The entire time Eile was doing that, Remilia squirmed.

"Sit still. This is not going to break your bones." Eile snapped at the dragon as Remilia mewed softly.

Soon enough, Eile finished stretching Remilia's wings as Remilia flapped her wings a few times before curling into a ball and falling asleep.

"Do this with both wings each day. We will do this as a group every evening before breakfast, so be ready for the daily routine. Now, finish this up, and we can go eat. When you are done, you may take your dragons and put them to bed. Once we are done eating, we'll be training, and I don't need to see these dragons getting hurt in the process. So everyone will just have to leave them in their rooms."

Eile quickly scooped up Remilia and made it back to her cave and placed the baby dragon on the bed before heading back out to the group. She was then led to a large room with a table full of food and cutlery as Eile sat herself close to the meats and grabbed the closest portions of meat she could reach and ate. She looked over to a man who sat near fruits and vegetables and watched him as he tried to calm his stomach down.

Apparently, he's not one for meat. More then enough time to mess with him.

Her gaze then fell over to a blond haired woman with weapons on her. She had two swords on her and what looked like a whip.

She must have some proper training. Dual Wielding swords is not easy.

Eile brought her thoughts back to her meal as she ate. An hour passed as Mauras decided to speak up.

"It's time we train in something useful. Each of you will become proficient in a weapon of some sort. Those of you who already are, we'll deal with you momentarily. Those of you who are not, we must find you something to practice for."

"C-can we just learn...hand to hand or something? Just defensive maneuvers?"

Eile smirked at that question.

"No. You are potentially going to have to fight creatures of your wildest nightmares. Defending yourself with just your hands is almost laughable. If you cannot pick a weapon, we will pick one for you.You cannot expect to gain such a creature as a dragon and not learn some sort of way to not only defend yourself, but also defend those around you. Especially that dragon of yours. Believe it or not, your dragon is a fighter. If you are not prepared, she will go to war, and you will die upon her back."

Eile shrugged as she got up, she grabbed a meat that is still attached to the bone as Mauras led them from the dining room to another room that had weapons in it.

"Oh. This I like. So many ways to kill a person in the room. It's soo ... exciting." Eile exclaimed as she hopped into the room as she took a look at each of the weapons there.

All of the weapons had a sheath on it as Eile examined each weapon. Most of the weapons have never seen usage while very few had scratches on it. Eile decided to swipe a small dagger that had a strap that crossed the hilt of the dagger from the rack. With a quick modification, Eile worked the strap into a small harness before hooking it onto her left arm with the hilt facing down for easy access.

If anything else, if I have to go somewhere that disarms me from Wayfinder and my Crow's Scythe, the dagger will be my last line of defense.

The green haired girl turned back to see Maruas handing the farmer a scythe. Eile smiled as she hopped over to the man.

"Oh. A scythe eh. Not a bad choice." Eile took a huge bite out of the meat on the bone she had. "That scythe head's good for slashing both ways and impaling someone from a decent length away. Just mind the distance and don't do anything too fancy with it. You're more likely to impale yourself if you try with that scythe head. But seriously, hand to hand maneuvers? Your enemy's more likely to laugh at you before chopping your arms off." Eile stated before finishing off the meat on the bone before Mauras spoke again.

"Choose your weapons, those of you who do not already have them. Once you do, we will go and begin our lessons."


"Well. Try not to decapitate yourself. What's your name, mister hand to hand farmer?" Eile stated looking at the farmer with a cynical smile on her face.
 
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[fieldbox=Arydur - 13 Vonas – 2146 - Training, #C0C0C0, solid, Tahoma]
As Eile entered the makeshift armory and explored the weapons before being given the command, Aki growled at Mauras’s side, her eyes flashing silver. Creating a bubble around the woman, the silver-haired rider lifted her with sheer power, alone, and brought her to a stand-still by the rest of the group.

You do not move without permission first,” she said deliberately, stepping forward and snatching the dagger from Eile’s arm, unlatching it while still glaring, the air around her vibrating with raw power. “You will get this dagger when I feel you are ready for it. For now, you will keep hold of your own weapons and not touch those that we provide.” As a precautionary measure, she left the bubble around the Green Murderer, limiting her movement and keeping her in place. Meanwhile, the rest of the group gained permission.

From her temporary prison, Eile spoke to Theolyn, making his situation worse. With every sentence she spoke, he seemed to pale further, until finally, he just about passed out. “H-how do I put the blades b-back in?” he stammered to Mauras, who chuckled and reached over towards a small line in the wood where there was a knob that moved up and down. Grabbing that knob, the gray-eyed man pulled down until it clicked, and as he did, the blades moved out of sight, once more a seamless spear. Patting Theolyn’s shoulder, he moved on, looking over at the others that were choosing their weapons.

Looking over at Eile, the farmer managed a glower, remaining silent and deciding it best to not engage in her antics. Turning away from her, he leaned on his spear for support, careful to keep his head away from the blades that remained in the sides. For a few moments, he stood like that. Then, when the last rider had chosen their weapon, Mauras and Aki led the entire group back towards the main cavern, where every pit was once more lit with a beautiful silver flame.

Line up!” Aki shouted, pointing at the ground before her. As they did, she looked at each with a blue gaze hinted with silver. Out of the group, she walked towards Eile and smirked sarcastically. “Alright, Green Murderer…time to prove to me just how good you are. Those of you who have already received weapons training, please take a few steps from those who haven’t. Once we’ve had our little match, and I’ve shown all of you what it means to be the warrior Pacted to a dragon, Mauras and I will pair you up and begin your lessons.

Backing up, she pointed at the ground in front of her. “First, it’s time to prove your worth. Over here.” Once the green-haired woman stood before her, Aki pulled her blades from the sheaths on her back, two shimmering scimitars. Twirling them in each hand, she lit one with fire as the other began to gleam with light. Her eyes shining silver, she gave a challenging smile. “Your move, girlie.
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Some time later.....

Once the fight between the two women had been completed, Eile was sent into the group that had weapons training histories. From there, Mauras spoke up, nodding his head and checking all of the different weapons.

"So, here's how it's going to work. First, you will choose a partner. Try to base this off of the weapons you are capable of using...choose one who has moderately the same training. From here, you will be given training tasks such as sparring, targets, and general practice. The first will be targets. Those of you with melee weapons, you will be provided with training dummies made of straw. Those of you with long-ranged weapons, you'll be granted targets to show your accuracy.

"Every two hours, we will break off to feed your dragons. This next feeding will also include a bath. Once the baths are over, we will return to this training until the night is over, only stopping to eat and drink. Targets are tonight. Once we have started to see some progress, we will take you to sparring. Aki and I will be here to guide all of you in learning your weapon, and while we are not the best at every weapon, we have been gifted the knowledge of each by Inhalla and know how to teach them. Follow our guidance, and you will learn quickly and proficiently. If this does not work, I am sure we have...other tactics."

He gave a slow smile then before clapping his hands and rushing everyone to start. "Alright, then! Choose already."[/fieldbox]
 
With well-worked, callused hands, Cora arranged her hatchling before her as Aki had demonstrated, mildly amused by his apparent talent for deep sleep. Cassius only snored a little as his legs were splayed out, behaving less like a dragon and more like a sack of potatoes, and for that the sailor thanked Varon (whoops, Inhalla). She was not used to handling animals, and any movement on Cass's part would probably have made stretching him a more stressful experience for both parties. Taking a deep breath, the fisherwoman extended her baby's right wing, setting it down as soon as an audible -pop- was heard. Gingerly she moved on to the left wing, repeating the process without managing to injure the sleeping dragon. 'A successful endeavor,' Cora thought with some satisfaction, and promptly hoisted the sleeping baby onto her hip. With the mention of breakfast hanging in the air like a promise, the sailor was quick to return her hatchling to his sleeping quarters, and soon followed the group down to the dining room.

Walking into the spacious, beautifully-decorated room and seeing the table laden with food gave Cora a similar feeling as the bathing room had: awe, delight, and immense gratitude. Tears pooled in her bright green eyes as she stood, overwhelmed, to the side of the table, only moving to fill a seat after the others had all been taken. It had been so long since she had eaten a decent, complete meal; several days had passed since she had last eaten anything, but it wasn't until she stared at the food before her that the sailor felt an immense, grating hunger, unlike the small pangs she had experienced back in her chambers. Cora dug in without fanfare, inhaling the contents of her plate within minutes and filling it back up for a second helping shortly after. Living homeless had not given her the best of manners nor inhibition as far as food was concerned.

After an hour of steadily eating at the same impossible pace, Cora reluctantly paused to hear Mauras speak. As she listened to him talk on the importance of training, the sailor began to regret having eaten so much so quickly, especially right before combat training; with every word out of Mauras's mouth she felt closer and closer to vomiting all over the table. Fortunately, the group passed Cora's chambers as they walked toward the weapons room, and she made a quick stop to retch into the basin near her bed, trying to do so quietly so as not to wake the sleeping hatchling. When at last her stomach was empty, Cora slipped passed the silver curtain and followed her ears to join the rest of the group in the weapons room.

She entered the room to see the green woman suspended in a bubble of silvery light, which was clearly Akihanna's doing. 'Bet she was asking for it,' the sailor thought, remembering the tension of the previous night. Elsewhere, the tall blonde woman was gripping two swords with practiced ease, and a few more shared her obvious familiarity with weapons. Others, however, were not as fortunate; the pair of men seemed at an utter loss, with the darker of the two awkwardly holding a spear in his hands. Cora suddenly realized that her peers had all chosen a weapon, and scanned the room with sharp green eyes for some steel of her own. A pair of throwing daggers caught her eye, but after a moment of thought she moved on. Many sailors in Salt Haven were skilled in the art of dagger throwing, having practiced since they were very young; knives were fairly easy to come by on the docks, and chucking them into wooden posts served as cheap entertainment for idle children. Cora herself was adept at throwing, but reasoned that daggers probably weren't very useful from atop a dragon- besides, since everyone was starting from the beginning, she might as well devote her time to learning something new.

The woman's emerald gaze rested on a slender spear in the corner of the room, its three glittering points gaining and keeping her attention. 'A trident,' she thought, taking the staff in her hands and taking a moment to examine it. The spear was long, its head level with her own, with a black shaft and three silver prongs branching out from its top end. The edge of one end prong was sharp, like a sword, while the other end prong was serrated along its side. The middle point was fearsome indeed, a wickedly sharp, barbed spearhead that exuded ferocity. 'This is no fishing trident,' the sailor thought with a shallow nod, briefly glancing around her before twirling the spear in a circle. Its weight was similar to that of tridents she had handled before, giving her small comfort as she awaited Akihanna's instruction.

Watching Aki dominate the "Green Murderer" was a terrifying, impressive, and strangely satisfactory experience that left Cora motivated to begin her training. At Mauras's urging, she glanced around the room for a partner whose skill seemed to match her own, emerald eyes analyzing potential matches and considering their compatibility. For the second time that night, Cora's gaze settled on a spear ... And, slightly lower, on the dark-haired man who wielded it. She approached with some uncertainty, holding the trident lightly in one hand as she walked slowly toward him.
 
Khajju Arjunus
Arydur - 13 Vonas


After the dragon-care lesson, Khajju did not return straight to his cave. Perhaps he was lost, perhaps he simply wanted to explore a bit, and maybe it was a bit of both. Whatever the case was, he stumbled near the room of Haern, the fire-breather that bore an uncanny resemblance from a former Lortanian boy. Khajju didn’t interact much with the blonde boy, or Haern, back then. But there were just enough subtleties for him to match Haern underneath the weathered exterior. There was more than just the fire-breather himself; Haern’s friend, a man called Theolyn was inside with them. Khajju paid little attention to Theolyn before, and it was hard when his back was turned and the wall partially obscuring sight. Theolyn, was it another name from Lortania? First it was Cora Morgan from the Port, after that Haern, and now another familiar face? This world must be a small place or Inhalla has the strangest sense of humour.

Inside the room, he could hear frantic rumblings of Haern. Though Khajju couldn’t discern the specifics of his words, he thought Haern was pleading to Theolyn. When Theolyn started to retort, Khajju had to decide on whether to leave or stay. In the end, he decided to stay and observe. There was a strange fascination with the conversation playing inside, it seemed as if Haern needed to be convinced to stay. It meant that not all came willingly, and some perhaps were brought here against their will. When voices began to quiet and footsteps resounded closer, Khajju jogged away as quietly as possible. He must not be seen eavesdropping on private talks, it was simply not appropriate for someone highborn as an Arjunus.

Aster was firmly asleep when Khajju returned from his lecture. Likewise, the would-be rider was equally as tired as his dragon. Khajju exhaled a soft breath without noticing, he felt secure with the the amethyst peacefully resting, a feeling he would not cared about hours ago. In addition to fatigue, Khajju was also hungry and thirsty. His bag provided only the last of his hastily prepared rations, with only the floor of his waterskin wet and crackers to sate his appetite. For the immediate day, Khajju would survive on his current supplies. But he sure hoped his hosts, or mentors, did not expect him to live without provisions.

With himself and Aster properly fed, Khajju shed himself of his protective equipment and lied down in just tunics and trousers. Unlike his previous lull, sleep came relatively easily; that was, however, when Aster indeed decided to chump on his rider’s finger.

“What the?” Suddenly plucked from his dreamless sleep, Khajju index finger felt sharp bites. Khajju didn’t sleep long or short, just when the deepest part of rest dawned did the interruption occur. He tried to shelter his hand from whatever was biting it, but it only met with stronger tears; now faintly drawing blood. “Bollocks!” Khajju spat. Thankfully, his dragon couldn’t understand speech yet; or could he? Anyhow, Khajju patted his dragonling with his free hand, and once the amethyst was assured, he gingerly pried Aster’s jaws open.

Aster eventually relented and released Khaj’s finger. Though the latter suspected it was more to do with the sound of barrel outside their quarters. Aster began to carefully plod outside the moment that sound was made, and by Khajju’s observation, the dragonling was apparently strong enough now to crawl with falling over. Judging by his size, Khajju wasn’t too surprised at how quick Aster learned to walk. After all, a dog of this would be merrily chasing a bone across the fields. But Aster was several hours old, and pups of this age could barely comprehend a world beyond its mother’s cradle. To this end, Khajju decided to be safe than sorry. Instead of letting his newly hatched amethyst explore a potentially dangerous cave, he instead nudged Aster back to his dirt nest and brought the barrel there.

Undertaking the labour of feeding once was somewhat tolerable, but by his third time, Khajju became quite irritated. Sleeping increments of two hours was not very replenishing, and while he dealt with the odour of raw animals before, Khaj was certain that Nero or Tal or whoever prepared those “dragon food” specifically made the stench worse. So for the third time he was woken by the thud of barrels and Aster attempting to eat his fingers, Khajju took to pacing the caves instead of sleeping, and eventually, he stumbled into the bathing cavern.

For a waterlogged cavern, the “bathroom” was unusually well-stocked. Khajju has seen private pools of magnificent scales, but the lagoon before him held its own against the best of them. How could the islanders maintain all the necessities for this? Maybe it was their magic; who said Nero couldn’t conjure sparkling water with a snap of talon? Whatever made this bath, it was obvious that someone had been using it not long ago. With the lack of screening in the cavern, privacy became a concern. Khajju only washed his face and hands after scraping off some dirt from his equipment.

Not long later, Khajju was called to the central area for another meeting. This time, Aster was excited to come along. He barked, or chirped, or made whatever sound a baby dragon could make to nug at Khajju. Even when Khaj shook his head, the amethyst never relented and bumped into his rider with such force that it nearly knocked Khajju over.

“No!” Khajju exclaimed and place his hand firmly on Aster’s nostrils. Khajju remembered how the dog trainer forced is hound to sit, and even his riding tutor on reining it the horse bridle. But the creature here was a dragon; what could he do with something like Aster? Having exhausted most techniques, Khajju leaned down and quietly whispered to the amethyst. “Your time will come, you’ll have to trust me.” To Khajju’s amazement, Aster obeyed and laid himself back down once more.

When gathered together once more with the riders, Khajju saw many others with their dragons in tow. Aster wasn’t alone in his curiosity, and he might be the less adventurous type. On the way to a suitable spot, Khajju passed the Nari woman, whose dragon radiated heat even beyond its rider’s arms. He also managed a closer look at Haern and Theolyn, with Haern looking less distraught than before. Just as he prepared to sit down, Khaj caught Cora’s nervous glance for the second time. What was she hiding? Khajju played back his meeting with the Morgans several weeks ago but couldn’t remember anything specific about Cora. Well, he was sure something must be amiss with Cora, and Khajju reminded himself to confront her as soon as possible.

When the internals of the adult dragon lit up in magical flames, Khajju was astounded as everyone else. As the mentors explained the inner workings of draconic creatures, many of Khajju’s questions were answered; but at the same time, more inquires arose. Khajju wished he brought writing supplies for note-taking, perhaps he should have learned to sketch. What was presented before him could be priceless for the human race, must of whom refused to even believe in such fantastical creatures. In just hours Khajju learned what the wisest scholars never dreamt of in ages, and such knowledge would be much sought after, for the right price. In the end, Khajju refrained from asking questions, he needed to write down the already handful down before risking losing more information.

The dragon handling session passed without too much of a hitch. Khajju’s amethyst was already relaxed and he managed to stretch the wings as instructed. The amethyst however, did leave Khajju wondering about what kind of breath it would have. For the time being, Aster only sneezed out small specks of purple dust. But these were solid matters, different from liquid fire or other gases and fluids exhaled by different breeds.

By the time they reached the dining hall, Khajju was as starved as the next person. Khajju hoped this would be the schedule for the future; one meal each day. But as much as he wanted to scarf down everything within reach, the news of upcoming weapon training gave reasons for moderation. Lady Etta, Khajju’s mother, never ceased to remind him about the dangers of overeating, especially before exercises. It was one lesson that ingrained itself firmly in Khaj’s mentality, combined with lack of food shortages, made the man a cautious eater. Even without eating too much, Khajju could appreciate the effort their hosts went for a proper meal. Unlike the cave decors, Khajju could make sense of such spectacular meals; dragons could hunt a variety of games and still have plenty leftovers for the less voracious human.

After some much needed nourishment and refreshment, Khajju felt much more comfortable than the day prior. He took a detour when the group was moving again, to retrieve his archery supplies and dagger. The time it took for him to don his coat-of-plates, strapping on weapons and pet Aster on the head meant he arrived just in time to see Eile being suspended in midair. A smirk broke out on Khaj’s face; it was oddly amusing and partly awe-inspiring to see the overconfident woman being put in her place. To make things even better, watching Aki and Eile spar was another spectacle of its own. Blood sport was something odd people enjoyed, and Khajju strictly avoided. The bout here was more fascinating, to witness more experienced combat spoke an air of elegance rather than brutality.

Khajju then observed as the group broke apart for weapons. Overall, they had interesting choices and bound to make a diverse set of fighters, if they get that far. On instinct, Khajju reached for his bow and arrow, actions that were second nature to him. But what was the challenge in that, Khajju thought; he was already set to take on dragons, why not a new set of weapons. Beside archery, the only other combative art he practiced was fencing, albeit not very often. It was a skill worthy of improving, and who better to learn from than the sophisticated lady knight?

“My lady,” Khajju greeted Leatrix as he drew a sabre from the arsenal. Out of the group of riders, Khajju had the most respect for Leatrix, based on her appearance. Her attire was sleek and she carried herself with somewhat noble manners. With these considerations in mind, Khajju made the best imitation of a fencer’s salute. “Care for a dance?”
 
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As Xanras flew over the first mountain of Silver Tail Island, carrying the first of many young riders in his surprisingly gentle grasp, he began a simple descent towards a clearing at the base of the center mountain, fixating his gaze on the shimmering silver scales of the creature standing at its center. His body moved rhythmically, as it had all night during his flight back from Taval. It took a few moments for him to make it down low enough to begin a small spiral downward before backwinging in the center of the clearing, where the silver creature had just been, and landing atop the soft, supple grasses, letting Skolas roll safely to the side.

Mauras slipped from the great dragon's back as the suns began to rise over the horizon, heading towards the young man just off to the right and helping him to his feet. "My apologies for not explaining further. You will be here for the day...we're expecting more company to arrive by the next nightfall."

As the man stood, Mauras looked towards the silver dragoness who stood still, staring at the armored one with wide, frightened eyes. From her side, a young-looking woman, appearing no more than her early twenties of silver hair and brilliant blue eyes, appeared. Her arms were crossed over her chest, but in a split second, she drew two beautifully curved blades from her back and charged at a frighteningly inhuman speed.

"Why did you bring this thing here?!" She screeched at Mauras, knocking Skolas back to the ground. She was light, but powerful, a force unseen pushing him back towards the ground. "I can taste the darkness coming from that sword of his."

The silver dragoness still had not moved, as though fear had kept her in place. Mauras backed up a few paces, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. "What do you mean? I did as Inhalla asked! I found him because he's meant to be a rider just like the others."

"Why would she want a man who carried such a vile weapon to be chosen? Do you know what that thing is?"

"No..."

All eyes were on Skolas then, questioning him before he was even able to utter a word.

It took a moment for Skolas to adjust to the surroundings but nodded at Mauras' words. He didnt mind staying, what else did he have to do. Then the dragoness caught his eye, he furrowed his brow at the look the dragon gave him. Then the girl appeared. She looks harmless enough until she leapt at him that is...

It happened fast. But Skolas was still able to grab the idea of where this was going the woman obviously didnt like his weapon. For a moment he attempted to draw his blade before the woman slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. The sound of a firm heavy thud followed by the clank of armor sounded from his body. Skolas groaned before punching the ground and looked up at the girl "What the hell?!" Attempting to get up once more he shook his head "its a damn sword my father gave me, nothing more!" He yelled up before still trying to get up. For a moment he locked eyes with the dragoness infront of him and then looked up at Aki.

"Just who the hell are you anyways?" Skolas was confused as ever. It was like a dream, none of it made sense. It was a sword, and thats exactly why Skolas moved to draw it.

Skolas’s attempts to draw his weapon only ignited her fury further, sending Aki into a rage that shook the very ground. “How dare you draw that thing on me!” she screamed, forcing his hands to meet the ground and remain where he could no longer grasp the sword’s hilt. “Do you intend to kill the child of the dragon that blade has already murdered?!”

Her raging words caught Mauras off guard, and he looked at Skolas before looking towards where Xanras stood, the stems of flowers waiting for the perfect day to bloom. “Aki, are you saying that…that weapon killed Allara?”

Xanras gave a large indrawn breath, his eyes widening in surprise. But Skolas was not finished explaining himself. Aki’s anger, however, only turned his words against him. “So, your father is responsible for her death, then? Shall you try to follow in his footsteps?”

Mauras, however, had realized that this was all just a big misunderstanding. He stepped forward, speaking to the woman in a light tone. “Aki…I don’t think he knows. Calm down.” This was met only with a blast of pure anger, emanating from her Aura like a storm that could topple a mountain. He flew backwards, slamming into his dragon’s thick hide. Eyes flashing crimson with anger, he quickly regained his breath and blasted her off of the man on the ground, sending her to her back with her scimitars strewn at her sides.

“You’re too angry, Aki! Stop this nonsense!” He planted a shield around himself and the man with the sword of death, firmly keeping Aki out, if only momentarily. “Allara would have never wanted this! She wouldn’t want you to lose yourself to your anger over a sword. Now, give this man a moment to explain himself before you try to kill him. Damn it!”

His eyes, still crimson with anger, looked towards Skolas then. “I am sorry for the greeting my partner has given you…your sword may be more than your father ever told you. Or the person who gave the blade to your father ever told him. You already know who I am…and you know Xanras. But those two…” He motioned towards Aki and Xaria. “Those two are the first dragon and rider in a thousand years. Xaria, the dragoness with the silvery scales, is the daughter of the ancient Kallydran Dragon, the first child of Inhalla. So, her grandmother is the goddess. And then, her rider…she’s Aki…and she has a very bad anger management issue. And for some reason, she thinks your sword is the one who killed Allara, Xaria’s mother and the dragon who raised Aki.”

Skolas blinked at her asking of his intention to murder "What? No! Get off me!" he squirmed and struggled to get out, however to no avail just yet. Then Aki began to push it further, pushing Skolas further towards anger rather than confusion "Don't you dare speak of my father!" he snapped in reply still trying to reach for the blade that had caused this dispute.

Skolas widened his eyes as he noticed Mauras fly back into the dragon behind him before Aki did much the same, Skolas couldn't even attempt to comprehend what was going on, was he not seeing something. His mind was clouded with confusion and anger towards the situation. That is until he noticed he was able to get up now that Aki had been flung off of him.

With a swift leap to his feet Skolas drew the blade from is scabbard and held it infront of his body in the direction of Aki and Xaria with a defensive rage in his eye. He noticed the flicker of reality as the shield shimmered into the physical world. Composing himself to a more relaxed state Skolas looked towards Mauras, who then began to explain the situation.

As he heard, Skolas lowered his blade and then took a glance at it in slight disbelief. "You can't be serious, this is just a sword my father handed down to me, yeah Its black, but thats just the blades coating that the beast left on it as a curse after the knight killed it well thats what my grandfather said, he was a heavy drinker so i never believed him, even if it was how could you tell? there must be hundreds of black swords in the world. It's just another sword."

Skolas was still angered by the attack, his harsh tone reflected that emotion towards the two of them, his defence never dropped much during the talk. Skolas looked at Mauras and then Aki before he looked at the two dragons around him "Besides, its like I said, Its just a fable. Something to inspire children!" he argued finally.

The moment the blade was drawn, it was as if time slowed. Everyone paused, feeling the angry power of the blade at full berth, eyes widening in horror as what Aki had said proved to be true. Though Skolas was unable to see it, both dragon riders stared at the dripping darkness of the blade, consumed by anger and pain…the same pain that was felt by the legendary Allara the moment she died.

Aki wailed, as though physically pained by the sight, dropping back down to her knees and holding her chest. This wail was mirrored by the pained cry of her dragon, who opened her maw to the skies and let loose a dangerously black flame.

Mauras stared at the sword, barely hearing the words of its weilder. It took him a moment to realize Skolas had spoken, but when he did, his eyes, now a deep, dark blue, met the eyes of the man before him. “I think it is more than just a fable. That sword radiates the pain of the last dragon it killed…though you cannot feel it, we can. We feel that pain and anger…the pity she felt for the humans who killed her. That sword killed the most precious creature in all of Kabola.”

“It must be destroyed!” Aki cried, forcing herself to her feet.

Xanras spoke to the riders mentally then, making them both look at him a moment. ~We cannot just rid this man of a precious heirloom…there must be some way we can purify it.~ He, too, seemed pained, but he also understood how precious something like that sword could be to a man like Skolas. It was obvious that he loved his father dearly, and to rid him of something that reminded him of the man he cherished was cruel.

“It can’t be purified, Xanras! It is covered with Allara’s blood!”

“Wait…Aki, Xaria’s healing flame…perhaps it can purify it. Call the pain away much like a spirit and rid the sword of such angry emotions.” Mauras looked towards Xaria, who had huddled towards the edge of the clearing, wings covering her as if they could protect her from the sword’s evil. “Xaria! You can cleanse it.”

~I do not wish to be near it! Please, take it away…~

Skolas watched as Aki fell to her knees, in his mind Skolas felt like this was a dream yet it felt so real, the power of the emotions flowing off Aki and Mauras, even the dragons. Skolas did not say a word at his point, instead he simply looked at the sword in his hand just gazing at it with a furrowed brow. Looking up at Mauras he shook his head softly "That doesn't make sense, why can you see it yet I cant?" Skolas questioned still trying to get a grasp on all of this.

Then Aki spoke of its destruction, hearing the words she spoke caused Skolas to snap his gaze to her direction "You even come near this sword with that intent and I can assure you it wont end well". The tone in his voice was indication enough that he held onto the blade with love and pride in it being the last remnant of his family that has not been removed from Skolas's life.

Skolas noticed the two look towards Xanras, yet no words were spoken, Skolas flicked his sight between the three before Aki finally spoke "Purified?" Skolas asked as Mauras also spoke in addition, "Flame? What?" Skolas flicked his head around becoming confused with what they were talking about his temper quickly rising before he slammed the blade into the ground, the sword letting out a high pitch ring as its tip dug into the sand allowing it to stand by itself amongst the grass.

"Enough! Look I don't know what you are on about, hell in my eyes this is just a sword that my father gave to me but you two wont seem to quieten down until this sword is 'purified' or what ever, so hurry up and do it. But mark my words, if that sword doesn't come out the same as it went in, I will never forgive any of you" it was then Skolas turned around to face his back to the sword in a angered stance. Fists clenched and head lowered before he looked back "Why am I even here anyways?, Its like Aki said, If this sword is as evil as you say then why pick me to come here if i possess it?"

Mauras answered the man’s question simply, his eyes still remaining on the blade. “Because you have yet to unlock the magic within you. You have yet to meet your dragon.” He moved subtly when the man before him snapped at Aki, making her tremble with both pain and rage. Her eyes shimmered silver, and the air around her seemed to vibrate with power. She hadn’t been this angry since she was saved from Gareth more than ten years ago. It was dangerous to see her at such a state.

“Aki!” he called, watching as her eyes snapped towards him. “Calm down.”

Her power lessened, if only slightly, but her anger still remained. Even at the mention of the sword being purified. The ringing of the blade snapped them all back towards Skolas, listening to what he was saying. Mauras stepped forward cautiously, bowing his head. “It will come out looking exactly the same to you. All that will happen is the remnants of emotion will be wiped from it so that we can all know some peace.” Looking at Xaria, his voice turned pleading. “Xaria, you are the only one who can forgive this. She was your mother, and you already know that she watches you with a smile. Please…Inhalla brought this man here for a reason, and we cannot let something as simple as a weapon get in the way of Her will. Do this for Allara…and for Inhalla.”

After a moment more of remaining in her huddled state, the silvery creature stood, revealing the swirling shadows on her scales that marked her as half Kallydran. Her deep blue eyes held tears, and her face was visibly pained. But at the words of Mauras, the truth in them ringing as clearly as the blade that now stood in the ground, she stepped towards it.

When she was close enough to lower her head and reach the sword, she took a deep breath. On her exhale, a silver flame as bright and beautiful as the moons that seemed to beat with the same rhythm as her own heart was shot out to consume the entire blade. Bits of it sprayed outward, touching Mauras and Skolas with what would feel like nothing more than a gentle, tingling caress. The blade was barely visible for a moment as Mauras said a prayer beneath his breath.

Then, as the flame disappeared, the blade remained, the black now seemingly brighter, as though the black of the night sky or the shadows on the scales of the Kallydran half-blood. Mauras took a step back, nodding. “The pain is gone. And the blade could even hold properties you may not yet know about. It has been blessed by the silver flame of the Kallydran Dragon, and the evil that had once possessed it is gone. I am sorry for all that has befallen you this night…but I promise that this one problem, as well as the others you will soon face, will be worth it in the end. Follow me…I’ll lead you to a room you can sleep in for the day.”

The tension in the air around the group was intense, both Aki and Skolas seemed to be on the Blades edge by this point. However the words of Mauras did calm Skolas down a little, at least enough to relax his fists to a relaxed palm. Mauras speaking of unlocking his power just made Skolas blink in confusion. Looking at Aki by this point he noticed the anger she felt towards the blade and now possibly Skolas.

Nodding at Mauras he stepped back slightly, putting his trust into something like this was no easy task but if it ended this conflict of emotions then so be it.

Skolas was actually surprised to see a dragon crying and in a state of suffering, he understood emotion but to the point of tears was more than Skolas could think of when ever he imagined dragons. Then his eyes widened to see the flame flowing over the blade and even skimming his flesh, yet it did not burn for some reason. Skolas never took his eyes off the blade, even small fractions of a glimpse was putting him on edge, his mind getting ready to throw fists yet the blade came out clear, clean as a polished whistle.

Skolas quickly grabbed the hilt of the sword and held it up, it was lighter, it seemingly was thinner with a more cutting edge than its pervious state. Maybe Aki and Mauras were right. He looked to Mauras with a soft nod "What more could this steel hold? Its just a sword, and what problems I'm soon to face?" then quickly stepping infront of Mauras he shook his head "No, Im not following anyone until I know what Im doing here, Why me? Aki said herself, If this blade was as dark as she said then why would Inhalla want me here? Wouldn't she want the dragons as far away from this blade as possible? Im just a regular man, Im no hero"

It was then Skolas slid the blade into the sheath that housed it. Removing his helmet he looked at both Aki and Mauras with determination in his eye, determined to know what he was here for.

Mauras gave a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, his eyes squeezing shut. “Do you not feel the draw that holds you here? I am only following orders…I was given a task, and I followed it through. We have been on this task for ten years. Can I answer your questions directly? About as well as I can answer the ones about myself. But the gods work in mysterious ways, and this situation is no different.”

He opened his eyes then, gray and dim, no longer revealing any emotion. Straightening, he looked back at Xanras before looking at Aki and then Xaria. “None of us are heroes in our own eyes, Skolas. But in the eyes of the goddess, we are irreplaceable. Sword or no sword. It is the heart and soul that matter, and She obviously believes that your heart and soul are pure in ways that no one can yet see. If you don’t trust me, trust in that feeling in your stomach. You will soon come to understand what I mean.”

Skolas just blinked softly at Mauras' words. Not knowing what to say at this moment in time however he knew that Mauras spoke with intent. Flicking back and fourth between Aki and Mauras he nodded "Fine. I'll believe you" he replied straightening his posture. "So...can I get that room now?" Skolas asked softly, giving a shrug at the end of the question. Before turning he looked to Aki and sighed. Not exactly making friends already.

With a curt nod, Mauras and Xanras led the man in armor down into the hidden tunnel and into the main cavern. "You'll sleep in this room today, and you'll be given your own room tomorrow night when the dragons arrive."

Given his own private area away from the other two riders, Skolas was left with strict instructions no to wander off. It would be here that he would remain until the Dragon Mothers arrived with their eggs. Then, he would be taken with his purified sword to meet the others that shared his destiny.

The days were long, tiresome, dark even, he could not count the hours he spent just staring off into the distance. His heart and mind shuddered with sudden emotion as he shook his head clutching the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white. Taking a deep breath he knew that the others were to be arriving today, why he arrived early was un-known yet he felt more at home here than the wilderness that he had been walking before Xanras and Mauras appeared and told his fate. It was almost too much for him, Mother dead, Father missing and his brother now forever known as a traitor. He huffed in soft amusement at the prospect of being here, from murderer to the black knight on the beach. Then he heard it, the beats of wings as the group he was to be part of began to arrive. They all looked so different, how they would work together was beyond him but he had faith none the less. What else did he have other than this 'Fate' he was told. Skolas was not one to give up on something like this, or anything.

"Chosen" "War" "Champions" what? This woman is delusional. Clearly these dragons have meddled with her mind. Yet something kept poking at Skolas. She was so sure of herself, so fourth coming, ready to lay it all on the line and the black dragon who had carried him here? Maybe this place was actually for real. Crossing his arms he stood by to listen shaking his head as he watched curiously.

"These are dragons. They carried you to this island, and they have been the only two to know of the troubles ahead for the last twenty years. Now is the moment that they, and I, will share our secrets with you. You are dragon riders, and within your new home are ten eggs, each a chosen dragon to be paired with each of you. For the next two years, you will raise these dragons, feed them, care for them, and teach them. Just as they will teach you. Just as I will teach you. In six months, you will make the Pact with these dragons, granting you unimaginable power and responsibility. You cannot run from this. You cannot hide. You can only accept it."

Huffing and even chuckling in amusement he shook his head, this was far more crazy sounding than he thought, Dragons havent been seen for a very long time, he pondered just declining and going back to the mainland, it would be easier after all. But part of him wanted to go deeper into this, what would this entail? Would he actually get a dragon? Skolas didn't know completely, but he was finding a hard time trusting all of this, It was all completely random and he was still getting over what had happened at Taval...his mind was all over the place. Seeing as the group moved with the woman he sighed and shook his head, "This is ridiculous" he muttered yet still followed looking behind him as he motioned foward.

Walking for a bit he couldn't help but ask "So we are just to follow you with our complete trust into a large cave with the promise of our own Dragons...well i can say its a first for me...but seriously, Is this big thing going to follow us everywhere?" he asked pointing at Xanras who had seemed to be behind him at every point during this journey. It kinda put him at un-ease if Skolas were honest.

Then the drastic duo appeared...that was something Skolas did not expect at all. However it was nice to see a spark in all of this black and white scheme of things. Moving past quite quickly with the rest of the group a small feeling of a burning sensation grew in the back of Skolas's skull. It had been lingering when they landed here, however it could easily be mistaken for an adrenalin rush due to flight. But now it was far more intense, something was in his head and it was letting him know it was there.

Entering the hallway the names were called, name after name then it was his. Lifting his gaze he was motioned to a room where the heat was more than enough yet, Skolas welcomed it, it reminded him of the hot summers in Taval. Oh the happy times he spent in the months of the heat. Moving into the room the sound of churning magma and cracking stone like egg moved through the room. Not flinching once, Skolas approached the egg slowly. Noticing the eggs cracks were a vibrant orange and yellow with the shell being black he removed his helmet and allowed his hair to fall. Moving closer and closer the shell began to fall away. The eye of the living creature underneath making instant contact with Skolas's own. Kneeling down before the egg Skolas could not help but smile "Well I'll be damned...she was telling the truth" he chuckled "C'mon, don't be telling me your not a strong one" he muttered out as the shards fell away one by one into the magma below until. Finally, Tail, Wings and head had been revealed. The heat in the room was amazing, yet Skolas felt nothing of it, his mind and body were distracted by the sheer being of the dragon below. The black drake fell into the magma yet felt nothing of it it appeared. Happily rolling around in its extreme heat before it locked eyes with Skolas once more. Skolas gently backing up away from the magma patted the ground in front of him "Well look at you hot stuff" he chuckled. The drake jumped out of the pit the laval quickly dripping off its body before it pounced at Skolas knocking him back a tad but the drake seemed to simply head butt and then fall dazed into Skolas's lap. "We are gonna get alone just fine i think buddy. Gonna need to work on your little pounce though" he chuckled once more before he lifted the drakes head and looked into the little beings face "Kranon...yes, that fits you perfectly" he spoke leaning down to gently headbutt the drake in return for the little pounce. "Kranon" letting out a gently yap before falling to the side and dozing off quickly.

(Time Warp To Most Recent Mowki Post)

A wide grin was now found on Skolas's face as he unsheathed his blackened blade with a metallic scraping sound. The sounds of leather gloves tightening around the handle as he placed the tip to the ground and looked about, who looked like a a challenge, he knew not. He always knew looks were not the way to judge skill. Still he moved a little to the side instead, deciding to look over each member of the group with a careful eye. The sword he held still gently rang with a soft high hum as he waited. But it was then he had to ask "Does anyone here consider themselves a skilled fighter at the blade? I do fancy a challenge" he huffed amused with his own statement
 
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[fieldbox="Bath Time, green, dashed, Andale Mono"]
Theolyn.png
Although the farmer's obvious discomfort with his scythe-turned-spear contrasted Cora's more relaxed stance, the two seemed like a fitting match. Both riders were wielding the tools of their trade in an abnormally aggressive setting, both unaccustomed to serious combat, both staring at the other with a healthy measure of uncertainty. Part of the reason Cora had approached the man was also that he looked about as sick as she felt after having retched up dinner- pale skin, clammy forehead, shaking hands, and all. 'Misery does love company,' she thought without amusement, trying not to think about the nausea sitting in the back of her head like a thick paste.

Wiping a damp curl from her temple, the sailor said in a quiet but firm voice, "Cora, Silver." With introductions safely out of the way, she continued, though somewhat less certainly, "You're ... a farmer, right?" Having spent her entire life in the port, the closest Cora had come to a farmer was the bedraggled shepherd that sometimes drove his livestock near the edge of the city. Rocky soil coated the earth near the sea, and with limited freshwater available, Port Syren was not a popular agricultural center.

The man in front of her did not resemble her idea of a farmer, with dark, curly locks instead of wispy, straw-colored hair, and skin full of silver scars where freckles should be. (Though he looks nothing like Florence, a small voice hissed in the back of her mind.) Regardless, his eyes, though deep with experience, had a genuinely friendly and kind look to them that encouraged Cora to continue. "I fish for a living, so I'm not really used to this-" With her free hand, the woman gestured toward the crown of her battle trident, "-and the whole training thing, either." It was as good a proposition as she could muster without some measure of confirmation or approval from the man, who she knew was likely to choose his own friend instead.

When Mauras commanded the group to choose partners according to the weapons chosen, Theolyn looked over at Haern briefly before giving a small sigh to himself and looking around the room. He knew that, when it came to this endeavor, he and his dear friend could not pair up. Then again, he should probably start making new friends, anyway.

As if on cue, a tan-skinned woman with short, dark curls and beautiful blue-green eyes appeared before him, introducing herself with short, clipped words. His brow furrowed at her cold behavior, and he briefly wondered if everyone was going to be like this. "I am Theolyn of the Emerald Dragon. And yes, I am a farmer." He gave a small smile then, reaching his hand out in offering. "I raised Windlarks in the North, and I grew the strong, hardy winter crops that cannot grow in the South. It is a pleasure to meet you, Cora of the Silver Dragon."

He listened to her speak of what she had done before coming to the island, and his smile grew. "So, you are from the Harbor in the South, then? The seaweed shipped to us in Lortania granted the greatest of fertilizers for my crops. I would buy some every time the merchants came."

He took a look at the weapon in her hands before turning to look at his own, sweat still pouring from his face as he felt another wave of sickness wash over him. "I...am not a fighter." His dark brown eyes hardened then, his brow meeting at the middle in a sign of anger, a rarity for a calm, peaceful farmer. "I never was, and I don't intend to be. But it is quite obvious that today, I have no choice." His face softened again, growing somewhat sheepish as he gave her an apologetic smile. "I...am sorry...if I throw up on you."

It took a moment for Cora to register the hand extended before her, not accustomed to pleasantries more formal than a stiff nod of acknowledgement. Although visibly uncomfortable at his courteous address, she clasped the man's hand with a sturdy grip, adding a nod for good measure before releasing. 'Is everyone here so diplomatic?' she thought with some exasperation, having developed a chronic mistrust of polite characters over the years.

While she offered no reciprocation for his friendly smile, listening to Theolyn's background did create a more open and curious expression on the sailor's freckled face. 'Do many farmers grow both plants and animals?' she wondered, thinking of the five distinctly separate industries of Port Syren. Managing two trades at once sounded difficult, especially if one of them involved raising Windlarks. Cora had never gotten along with her father's beautiful steed, and respected Theolyn a little more for possessing such an impressive skill.

She tensed a little at the mention of seaweed until realizing that exiles had no use for old familial prejudices. "Yeah, Port, uh, Port Syren. My family is known its fishing business, but I've been ... doing some independent work in the past few years." Without elaborating, she added, "I don't have much experience with Windlarks. My father has one .... Always said it took a special something to be able to train and bond with them." Cora examined Theolyn's face thoughtfully, noting the sweat pouring from his forehead; it seemed he had taken a turn for the worse while she had been talking. His face darkened as he spoke about fighting, which she guessed was an indication of some past trauma- though what experience did a farmer have with combat? While puzzled by the implication of her partner's tone, she was left to speculate as he moved on.

Cora stiffened as she mistook Theolyn's apology for mocking, but broke into laughter when she realized his genuine concern. "No, no, it's fine!" She managed to stutter, covering her smile with an embarrassed hand. "I've already puked up dinner. Glad to see someone shares my special talent." Already she was feeling more relaxed around her partner than she had been only a few minutes earlier.

Noticing Cora’s obvious discomfort for his formal take on introducing himself, Theolyn gave a small smile and a bow of his head. “I apologize if I make you uncomfortable. I tend to be a somewhat formal person with those I do not yet know. Please, don’t take it personally.” Still, she accepted his hand with a firm grip of her own, making his smile grow into a bright grin, chocolate eyes shimmering gleefully.

His observant eyes never missed a thing. They noticed her body tense at the mention of seaweed, and his mind stored away the information for later in hopes of asking her when she felt a little more comfortable around him. Giving a nod, he chuckled. “Yes, I believe I’ve heard that name mentioned a few times. There are other names, though…for that town, yes? I know that there is only one harbor city on the Southern Coast of the Mainland…but everyone has a different name for it, it seems.” He scratched his stubble in thought a moment, smiling fondly at a memory before listening in on what she was saying. Another light chuckle sounded from deep within his chest. “Aye, they can be hearty creatures at times. I know my own gave me quite the thrashing not long after my dear little sister saved him. He was a rambunctious creature. Still, I kept him for many years to come. But I also hear that they can be more easily agitated in warmer weather…their feathers are thick, much like the coat of a mountain animal, so they don’t like the heat too much.

Still, while he spoke fondly, he could feel his body rejecting all that was about to happen. It was as though he physically could not stand the thought of even holding a weapon designed to kill or destroy. After apologizing, he laughed and gave a nod. “I think you and I will get along just fine, Miss Cora. I will do my best to steer clear of you if my stomach does decide to betray me.”

It was at this moment that Mauras and Aki had finished setting up various training dummies in a line, some targets, while others bags of hay stuffed and tied to sticks to look relatively like humanoids. At the sight of this, Theolyn’s heart sank even deeper, and for a moment, he feared looking at the floor, as though he would see it at his feet, beating rapidly. Looking back over at Cora, he gave a smile as they were instructed to take turns hitting the dummy in front of them. Looking at her, he pleaded with his eyes. “Mind if you go first? I still need to…catch my bearings.

Cora wasn't sure if Theolyn's apology added to or relieved her discomfort, but she accepted it with a shallow nod and a grimace intended as a smile. Limited though it was, his knowledge of the port town impressed her, as few outsiders were aware of the city's complex social dynamic. "We call it Salt Haven," she was quick to add, some instinctive pack mentality compelling her to use 'we' instead of 'I' without realizing her mistake. The woman listened with interest as Theolyn talked about Windlarks in the south, completely unaware that the beautiful birds weren't well-suited for warmer harbor weather. 'Goes to show what lengths rich men go through to impress their peers,' she thought bitterly, thinking of the rich sailors who rode their sumptuously-adorned, brightly-colored Windlarks through the market streets in a brilliant display of wealth. It was easy to think poorly of men who bought cold-weather animals to fuel their hot-blooded rivalries.

So far it seemed that pairing with Theolyn had been a good decision, but as soon as Mauras and Aki placed a dummy before them, the tall farmer seemed to shrink beside her. Cora looked at him uncertainly, and nodded after a second. "Sure," she answered, turning her attention back to the trident in her hands. How was she supposed to hit the dummy- by stabbing it? Whacking it with the flat side of her weapon? Or by using the sword edge to strike at its chest? After a moment of thought she decided on the second option, reasoning that she should practice her aim and swing before anything else. Besides, with Theolyn on the verge of a breakdown nearby, she didn't think it was very considerate to start their training by impaling the waiting target.

After swinging the trident into an active position, Cora approached the dummy slowly, trying to apply what her father had taught her about swords to the situation at hand. Suddenly she drew her weapon back and swung forward, whacking at the center of the target with the flat of the spearhead. Dust wafted off of the dummy's chest, filling the air with a swirling mixture of particles. The sailor frowned, dissatisfied with her technique, and decided to give it another try. This time she remained light on her feet, held the shaft more gingerly, and put her weight into the strike; consequently, the trident whistled through the air and struck the dummy with a satisfying thump.

She took a step back and gave Theolyn a concerned glance, then turned toward the target and watched as the clouds of dust floated gently through the air. "Just like airing out a carpet," she said, unsure of how to reassure her partner- how to break past whatever terrible experience had created such a strong, pacifist resolve in him. "Would it help to have a different target?" she offered, turning to inspect the other dummies in the room. Some were less humanoid than others, and it might help him to strike at a giant potato instead of the distinctly human shape before them.

We….she said ‘we.’ How odd. Granting her a gentle smile and a nod, Theolyn spoke. “Salt Haven is a beautiful name.” He focused intently on her, watching her facial movements, the way her eyes squinted slightly in thought and how her curls shifted slightly when she spoke. The farmer found the young woman before him to be somewhat charming…in her own awkward manner.

As she agreed to go at the target first, chocolate eyes watched her silently. His clothing had begun to take in the sweat that was pouring from his body, and his body shook weakly. With every move she made at the dummy, his condition only seemed to worsen. Was this ever going to end? Unable to think or move, he watched in horror as she beat the side of the dummy, the force of her hit almost knocking the target on its side.

If Theolyn could possibly pale more, he did, all color draining from his face as he looked over at Cora with wide, fearful eyes. “I…I don’t t-think that’s going to h-help,” he stammered, shaking his head. Why was he so afraid to hurt something? Was it that voice that spoke whispers without words, which was dancing around him angrily now? Was it some innate fear of death and violence? The farmer couldn’t place his physical resistance to such things. Still, he had to try something.

So, with a few very deep breaths, he took the spear into his shaking hands and turned it towards the target before him. His eyes set on the dummy’s chest area, he charged forward with the spear pointed towards it, the shaft held at waist level. Just before getting all the way, he gave a yell and thrust the spear-head straight into the straw-filled sack, successfully impaling it.

And without another moment to wait, the farmer turned to the side and emptied his stomach of its contents.

Sometime during her practice strikes, the sailor found that her companion's face had drained of all color. To another person, Theolyn's crumpled posture, glistening sweat, and stammering words may have been amusing for a man of his size and strength, but Cora felt only sympathy as she watched the farmer approach his target, spear trembling in his well-worked hands. She crossed her arms and, more privately, crossed her fingers; although his fears were likely justified, her partner's inability to perform even the most basic tasks of combat training would severely hinder their progress toward becoming warriors.

Suddenly Theolyn gave a sharp cry and charged the dummy, spearhead aimed at its waist. Flinching slightly, the sailor's green eyes watched in fascination as her partner thrust the spear through the target in an impressive show of force. She was stunned. "Oh," she muttered without thinking, his yell still ringing in her ears. "Well that wasn't so- oh. OH." Without a moment to spare, the farmer had bent at the waist and was vomiting into a neat pile next to the target, the spear still embedded where he had left it. He wasn't kidding! she thought, immediately moving to her partner's side though uncertain of how to proceed from there.

The sailor's fingers hovered over her companion's back, ever reluctant to make contact with another human. Regardless, she attempted to usher the 6-foot behemoth toward a bale of hay nearby, a likely source of stuffing for the training dummies. "Hey, uh, you should sit for a while," she said, emerald hues attempting to gauge just how much energy the farmer had emptied onto the floor along with the puke. Without a rag or some water to clean the mess, Cora was left looking helplessly around the room, the stench of vomit strengthening her own thick sense of nausea. Aki and Mauras were busy training and helping others, but she was sure the smell would attract them as fruit flies to a banana. In the meantime she searched for Nero, whom she hoped would be able to clear the mess away with one wave of his paw just as he had procured a chair in his chambers last morning. "Nero," the woman called uncertainly, although she was still not able to see the little golden dragon anywhere. If he did not respond, she resolved to run to the bath chambers and grab a towel to mop up the vomit herself.

Feeling the presence of Cora at his side, Theolyn dry-heaved a few more times before wiping his mouth with his right sleeve, forcing himself to stand up, his brow furrowed with determination. Though still shaky, he found himself feeling a little better. In the air around him, he felt and heard the encouraging whispers. No longer was the strange, singsong voice angry, but happy. This seemed to help calm him as well. “No, no…it’s fine. I’m…fine. I apologize.

Looking down at the pile he had procured, the farmer sighed and pulled off his white tunic, throwing it over the pile so that the small wouldn’t permeate so badly. Looking down at the woman beside him, he chuckled. “I did try to warn you. But I feel better now.

Moments after Cora called for Nero, the little dragon appeared in front of her with an exaggerated bow. “Yes, my dear? What can I do for you?” He looked over at Theolyn with a dragonly smile before sniffing the air, his face suddenly twisting in a more disgusted manner. “Oh, dear! What is that smell?” The farmer pointed down at the pile now covered by his only tunic. Upon realizing that the man had thrown up, Nero threw out his paws, a bubble appearing around them to block off the scene from curious eyes.

Once he had done so, the pseudodragon pulled the tunic off and threw it to the side. “We will have to wash that later today. But first…” Rising higher into the air, he summoned a shovel and scooped most of the pile up, setting it atop the tunic to also be cleaned or disposed of. Finally, summoning a mop large enough for any human to use, the little dragon grasped the handle and began to dance back and forth in the air, mopping up the stone floor surprisingly well.

After a few moments, Nero made the mop disappear with a sheepish smile before looking at the others. “Do not fret…I knew that something like this would happen in the first few days.” His eyes set on Theo then, the soft blue firming slightly. “But remember, farmer…sometimes death is necessary to preserve life. Take that into account as you continue these exercises, for if your little dragoness ever falls into trouble, she will rely on you to get her out of it.

With a small smile to the pair, Nero then made the bubble dissipate before raising the shovel and disappearing with it. Clearing his throat, Theolyn looked down at the soaked tunic, sighing. Then, looking at Cora, he shrugged. “I suppose, then, that we should continue. I would go dress myself, but sadly, that is my only tunic. I hope that this does not bother you.

After the farmer had declined her suggestion, Cora nodded stiffly and sent him a somewhat aberrant second glance before returning her attention to the mess. 'He sure does like to apologize,' she thought incredulously (though not without some amusement), and after a moment of contemplation, decided that Theolyn would in fact make it through the training session. Although the fisherwoman took her partner's insistence with a grain of salt, the color in his face and straighter posture were evidence of an improvement.

Why Theolyn had thrown his very white tunic over the pile of vomit was beyond her, but once the smell had subsided a little Cora was glad he had done so. She nodded absently. "I have never felt more betrayed by breakfast," she mumbled, vowing to stick with a light few pieces of bread for tomorrow night, and hoping that her partner would do the same.

The sailor started when Nero suddenly appeared before her, giving his trademark exaggerated bow and offering to help. Having had enough surprises for the night, she merely stuck out a hand to indicate the tunic-coated pile of sick, and looked at the pseudodragon with mild exasperation. Thankfully, the little dragon wasted no time in rectifying the situation, throwing up a spherical shield for privacy and lifting the now-damp tunic off of the mess and off to the side. A shovel popped into the air, scooped up most of the vomit, and came to rest atop the tunic; next, Nero procured a mop and wiggled it across the floor as part of a surprisingly successful little dance. Cora would have offered to finish swabbing the floor, but within moments the golden dragon was finished, and the mop had vanished into thin air. He reassured them that their puking had not been in vain, spoke a few private words to Theolyn, and then -blip- ...disappeared with the vomit-filled shovel before the sailor could stammer a thank-you.

Left with the same strange feeling she always experienced after dealing with Nero, the fisherwoman looked up at her partner and realized that he held in his hands the ruined, damp mess that was once his clean tunic. She understood his problem; there was no way to wear the shirt without making himself sick again, and without a change of clothes he had no option but to continue bare-backed. Regardless, a mixture of feelings swirled through the woman's head like the smooth waters of a slow-moving river. Feelings of attraction to the farmer's well-built, rugged figure were contrasted by the sour, unpleasant memories of her husband. Clammy, vibrating skin was enveloping her, crushing her, bringing her to an early grave touch-by-touch. Each rough caress pumped more poison into her veins, each desire-filled tremble shook her to her cold bones.

"'Course not," the sailor said with a shrug, hiding feelings of shame and guilt at having been upset over so trivial a detail. In one easy motion she picked up her battle trident and swiveled into a battle stance; only a few seconds later, the spearhead was sent whistling through the air toward the target's midsection. WHACK. The target wobbled, then toppled over onto the spot where Theolyn had just been sick. Cora paused for a few moments, freckled face dark and tense, then straightened herself and bent to right the practice dummy, grunting a little as she hoisted the figure into its former upright position. The woman then turned and gave her partner an apologetic nod. "You alright?" she asked, trying to focus on his chocolate eyes but distracted by the warmth radiating from his bare skin as she approached. Clenching the spearshaft more tightly in her fists, the sailor waited patiently to see if Theolyn would try again.

He didn’t miss the flicker of shame in her eyes or the way she averted them when she spoke to him again. He wanted to say something, to reach out and comfort her or to apologize again for the misgivings he had forced upon her. But there was nothing he could do, and he knew it. So he watched with dull, dark eyes as she took her emotions out on the dummy, sending it back. Because it was empty, his stomach was unable to send him to his knees. So, instead, he pushed his sick feelings aside, wiping the sweat from his brow and tossing the sodden shirt aside.

As she leaned down to pick the dummy up, he did as well, helping her hoist it, if only by a small amount. When she turned to look at him, he nodded in response to her question. “My stomach has nothing more to offer, so I should be better than last time. I know that Nero is correct about my inability to fight…I must protect my little flower until she is ready to grow to be a strong warrior.” He blushed then, realizing he had spoken of Nyteria as though he, himself, were a woman. Turning away, he scratched his stubble, clearing his throat.

Upon regaining his composure, he turned back, pulling out the spear with a surprising amount of force before thumping the bottom of the shaft on the ground, forcing out the blades. Being far enough away to keep them from hurting anyone else, particularly the young sailor woman he was training with, he got himself into position and swung sideways at the dummy. Awkward and completely out of balance, he only managed to knock the target to the other side with a loud clang!

Theolyn’s training was hard and rough, and for two hours, he continued to sputter around awkwardly beside the beautiful young sailor. A tumble here, a stumble there, an awkward word or phrase spoken followed by his own desire to slap himself in the face. How silly could one man be? How awkward? How…ridiculous? It was a never-ending sea of awkward glances, idle chatter, careful maneuvering, and ridiculously placed blows upon the stuffed target.

The two hours seemed like a lifetime for him.

But it finally ended with the two older riders calling for a mass halt. As everyone began to slow and stop, looking towards the pair behind them, they each raised a brow almost expectantly. After a moment of silence from everyone, Mauras stepped forward, leaving Aki behind him with her arms crossed angrily over her chest.

Well, seems we have a militia…but with time and effort, you’ll become an army. That’s all for now. Your babies are hungry again. We must keep them fed.” As he motioned for the group to follow, Theolyn looked around for the two large shadows, realizing that the dragons were nowhere to be found. As though they had vanished completely during his haze of awkward weaponry training. His body was drenched with sweat as he turned, grabbing his shirt and moving with the group back towards the quarters area.

After the young dragons were fed, everyone was once more called out of their rooms with the little ones. Upon the exit of every rider, Aki stepped forward and spoke up. “Now that we’ve had some time for the training of an army, we must learn something else for the dragons. They should love this idea, as it’s any baby dragon’s favorite time of day.

She smirked over this, pausing for effect as she stepped forward and turned the group towards the back end of the hallway. “Bath time!” Calling behind her, the silver-haired woman was met with happy cries from many understanding babies. Theolyn’s own decided this was the best time to wriggle out of her rider’s grasp, landing with a tiny oof! on the ground before scuttling forward excitedly. With each step she took, she left a trail of grass and tiny blooming flowers of various colors.

Nyteria! Come back!” Theolyn took off forward, attempting desperately to catch her. It took him a moment of weaving through the crowd with apologies to each rider he might have touched or bumped into. In fact, it wasn’t until the end of the hallway where they all stood before a massive blue curtain that he finally caught the wriggling little dragoness. Upon realizing she wasn’t getting away quite so easily this time, she finally sighed dramatically and stopped, letting her body go limp in his arms. Scooping her into a cradle, he nuzzled her face. “Don’t do that again, please…I couldn’t bear to see you hurt, little flower.

She gave what seemed to be an apologetic coo, nuzzling him back before looking at Aki, who appeared rather impatient before the curtain.

If we’re done with the dramas, shall we continue?” Without pausing to see if anyone answered, she huffed and turned, pulling the curtain aside and walking in. The group was ushered to follow behind her, stopping in the center floor area of the massive cavern where a brilliant pool of water seemed to shimmer with a light whose source was left unseen. Atop the water’s surface floated what appeared to be some sort of lily pad, upon which were lanterns much like that which could be seen from Nero’s necklace, each containing a candle lit with a silver flame. To the right were three stony shelves appearing to be carved straight from the wall, each containing a different array of soaps and oils, marked for their scents, surprisingly fluffy cloths to clean with, and towels to dry.

Aki turned to them then, opening her arms to motion at the area around her. “Here is the bathing room. The pool is large enough to fit three full-sized Silver Dragons, and its water flows directly from the lake outside, filtered naturally through the sediment beneath with heat and other various decontaminants. This is the only bathing area for you, so both males and females will be expected to share without problems. The dragon bathing room is just off to the side here.” She pointed to her right, farther down the wall, where another curtain shimmered in the distance no more than two hundred feet from where they stood. “Follow me.

She turned, leading the group behind the white, shimmering curtain and down another hall into a much warmer room. Like the pool of water, there was an opening in the floor. But this opening was only a third of the size, and it contained sand instead of water. Stony shelves lined the walls of the rounded room, containing different sets of oils, cloths, and tools such as metal picks, brushes, and scrubbers.

She looked at the group here, choosing her next target. When her eyes settled on Theolyn, she smiled, motioning him forward. Slowly, he moved towards her. “She was the most eager, it seemed. So she will be the one we use to show everyone. Watch closely.

With a slight gulp, he handed Nyteria over, who squirmed in Aki’s surprisingly strong arms to no avail. As the woman set the baby dragon in the sand, she gave a delighted squeal as the rough grains softened into soft red clay. “Everyone, follow my lead. We’re going to do this together. The pit is large enough for now.” As the young riders began to place their dragons in the sand, it soon became apparent that it would transform to the needs of the dragon placed within. Once everyone had taken their places, Mauras grabbed jars of oil, each topped with thick, worn leather and tied tightly across the top, and two different cloths. Aki took the rougher of the two, grasping a handful of the red clay and smearing it on the baby’s side beneath her wing and beginning to rub small circles into the little Emerald’s pale green skin.

The sand is spelled so that it takes on the need of your dragon. Most simply need sand…but some of you need something softer or tougher. Silvers are simple, using the sand to clean even the hardest-reaching places. But creatures such as Obsidians need something tougher, like the stone created from water cooling lava. And creatures as delicate as this Emerald or the Ammolite require much softer materials. Once it’s done shifting, take the tougher cloth and a handful of what the sand has shifted to and choose a spot to start rubbing small circles of the sediment into. Right now, be gentle, as their scales will take time to grow in. Do this until the entire dragon has been rubbed down.

For a while, everyone sat in a determined silence as Mauras walked around to check on their progress. Aki handed the cloth to Theolyn after her first area was done, expecting him to take control as she stood and began walking around as well, correcting what was necessary. Nyteria thrummed with delight, her body emanating some strange noise from her crest that might resemble a purr. Her eyes fluttered closed beneath the steady, strong hands of the farmer. The clay was soft and easily gave beneath the fingers of the farmer, but it was also surprisingly warm. It didn’t take any more than a half hour to cover her completely, even the soft lids of her eyes, leaving nothing but a large blob of red clay standing in a pit where the sediment had been scooped out.

As Aki returned, she was handed an oddly soft scraper, slowly wiping away the clay to remove it from the little dragon. Speaking to Theolyn, she said firmly, “Emeralds are one of the few dragons who enjoy clay baths. You’ll have to use this to get it off of her…in the wild, they just let the clay dry and crack off, which does the steps that we’re about to follow for them by containing the natural oils of their bodies to leave a gleam on their scales. Think of it like a mud mask.” She handed him the scraper tool, which he obligingly used to rid the little dragon of the thick, wet clay.

Once everyone was finished, Aki moved to a different dragon, smiling towards Cora as she popped open the top of the jar and grabbing the soft cloth. “Do you mind if I show everyone with a few swirls on him? You can do the rest.” Upon the confirmation of his rider, Aki dipped the cloth into the oil, wetting only the very tip of it before placing the jar firmly on the ground and making tiny circles on the soft, white skin of the baby dragon. “Like the scrubbing, oil is given in small circles. This will leave your baby with enough oil to keep the skin from drying out and cracking while also protecting him from foreign debris. It acts like the natural oils of the dragon, deterring foreign contamination for a while so that the baby has enough time to produce oils of his own. Once you’ve done that, you can give a full rubdown with the same cloth you put the oil on with to get any excess off.” She handed the cloth to Cora then, nodding firmly as the other began their own. Another half hour or so passed before everyone had begun to finish.

This seemed to be Nyteria’s favorite part, as she rolled willingly to get to even the hardest parts. As Theolyn rubbed the oil into her thick hide, he noticed how soft and supple it was beginning to appear. Scales had begun to grow from various spots, flimsy and delicate, but already shining with what would become the brilliant green of the gemstones. He was slow with her, making sure he got every nook and cranny all over the little creature before giving her a full rubdown. By the time he was done, she looked even more radiant than when she had first hatched, and he was drenched with sweat.

This is a process that must be completed every day before lunch. For the first six months, we will complete this as a group. After that, we’ll split into two groups. Now, if you’ll follow me…we have more training to do.

For the rest of the day, the group was pushed through various battle scenarios, mostly sticking to the dummies in their original teams. Besides lunch and the various dragon feasts as well as a lesson in cleaning the dragon’s room of any defecations, there was little else to do. Xanras and Xaria returned near dinner time with a surprising amount of wild prey in tow to be stored in a room in the private quarters kept cold using the magic of the two dragons. After dinner, the riders were given the last two hours of the night to do what was necessary. Theolyn took this time to bathe himself. He knew that tomorrow night held even more surprises, and he hoped, secretly, that these would be better than the ones he had been shown so far. Besides the dragon and possibly the sailor woman he had partnered with, the farmer had little else to like about his new environment.[/fieldbox]
 
After a short but painful reminder of her tumultuous marriage, Cora put all of her energy into training, trying to smash feelings of helplessness and inadequacy with each strike of the battle trident. Over the next two hours she barely noticed her partner apart from the odd phrase or misplaced foot, and his awkward but well-meaning manner was met by stiff nods and the occasional fumbling attempt at polite conversation. Removing herself from an all-too-familiar, toxic mindset before it developed further required a level of attention that was not inclusive of Theolyn, or the other riders, or even Nero and his Inhalla; Cora's world was reduced to her, the target, and the sweet promise of a baby dragon waiting just for her in the next room over.

Just as the sailor had managed to work out her aggression, the two experienced dragon riders called the session to an end. Panting, she replaced the trident in its spot on the rack and jogged back to her room, where the sight of a little white head raising toward her filled her with relief. The woman took a moment to kiss her hatchling on the nose, then answered his gentle peep for food with a tired half-smile on her freckled face.

The group was called out of their rooms, and for the second time Cora was astounded by the variety of dragons present among them. Cassius kept close as they followed Akihanna down the hallway, looking up at his rider with delighted rosy eyes at the mention of bath time. Apparently emboldened by the prospect of a bath, the albino hatchling strayed a few feet from Cora's side to prance in a mysterious trail of grass, pausing occasionally to sniff a brightly-colored flower with his curious but gentle nose.

The fisherwoman felt the anxious, quick beating of her heart slow as the group entered the bathing chamber, which was shimmering with the same silver light as it had been the night before. Much to her disappointment, they were soon led out of the pool area and into a room coated in fine sand, though Cassius and several other hatchlings seemed to vibrate with excitement as they trotted across the soft ground. Following Akihanna's lead, the sailor sat down in the sand and tried not to smile as her dragon immediately settled into the space between her legs with a quiet purring noise. Wrapping her arms loosely around Cass's slender white body, the sailor watched Aki spread red clay onto Theolyn's dragon, who wore a comically euphoric look on her little green face. After an explanation had been given, Cora grabbed a fistful of sand, which soon became somewhat moist in her hands, and began to rub it in circles on her dragon's textured white skin. To her surprise, the albino was already growing scales in places where they had not been growing before. Tentatively she rubbed sand against one growing patch, and after a few seconds noticed with some horror that a fine white powder had begun to flake off like chalk. 'They're so soft,' she thought guiltily, though Cassius gave no indication of having felt his scales rub away, still resting his chin sleepily upon her knee. The sailor was careful not to disturb the growing scales any further, and finished massaging her hatchling in less than half an hour.

After everyone else had finished, Akihanna asked to use Cassius for a demonstration, and Cora reluctantly complied. She gave her hatchling a small waking nudge, and he politely arranged himself into a more convenient position for Aki's use. Once the older rider had finished instructing, Cora took the cloth and continued where Aki had left off, concealing a smile when her dragon immediately returned his chin to the top of her knee. As she worked, the sailor couldn't help but note the way Akihanna treated the dragons in comparison to their riders; while the hatchlings received warm smiles, friendly glances and careful handling from the silver-haired woman, their riders were more awkwardly and stiffly dealt with, almost as if Aki were more dragon than she was human. The sailor wasn't sure what to make of that observation, so she put it aside for later reflection and focused on coating her hatchling with the oil. Before long, Cassius was a resplendent, shimmering white, his skin clean and gleaming. When he no longer felt the massaging hands of his rider, the albino stood and attempted to stretch his wings for her, though only managed to unfurl them about halfway before giving up. "Well, don't you clean up nice," she remarked, scratching the hatchling fondly beneath the chin. Cass's chest swelled with pride, and he looked up at Akihanna with bashful pink eyes as she started to speak.

As the group dispersed for feeding, Cassius and Cora ran into a spot of trouble when Androga and Helix teamed up for a well-intentioned, playful scheme on their albino brother.

--------

Once the sailor had carried her hatchling back to their rooms and fed him his barrel full of meat, she couldn't help but think about how quickly the strangeness of her situation was becoming routine. Throughout the activities of the day -training with Theolyn, eating a small lunch and dinner, training with Theo, feeding, training, training- she continued to reflect upon her new life and everything that was in store for the next two years. Would she find herself a full-fledged warrior by the time Cassius was at shoulder-level? Would she be able to command magic as easily as Akihanna, or handle herself with as much wisdom and composure as Nero? Would she make friends? '... Perhaps with Theolyn,' the sailor thought idly at some point, though quickly dismissed the possibility once self-doubt had caught up. It wasn't long before the end of the night had arrived, and with it a feeling of exhaustion so thick that it took a gentle nudge from Cassius for the woman to get off of the floor and bathe herself, just missing her training partner by a few minutes. The fisherwoman spent a few hours in the pool until a sharp pounding in her head brought her back to reality to feed the albino dragon, whom she found waiting patiently just inside the shimmering silver curtain of their room.

The day passed slowly, as Cora found it difficult to sleep despite her exhaustion. Curled up within the chest in her room, the sailor could only wait in hazy anticipation for dusk to fall once more.
 
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The pratice time was enough to make Leatrix's heart pounding so fast, she was too excited for this. When Aki shouted the dragon riders to line up, Leatrix quickly find a position at the back. When Leatrix welcomed the dark blonde haired dragon rider with a warm smile, "I'd love to," she unsheathed her dual blades, Scattish, as she walked toward the tall man. Then, they began their training together.....

<Collab is on the making>

The training with Khajju was enough to make her sweating, he leaned more to long-ranged fighter, but he had talent for sword art. She had several sparring before and she couldn't say that this sparring was the best, but she was glad having someone to teach about swordplay. Just reminding her about those beautiful days when her father used to teach her using swords. She also learnt a lot about long-ranged combat from him, so it was like exchanging skills.

Two hours has passed and they were called once again to be told about the lack of skills they had. Leatrix must admitted that she was confident with her skill. Several years training and lot of experiences on field really polished her well. However, there were always a room for her to learn. She was always eager to learn new things, new techniques, and new skills.

Leatrix ran to her cave in hurry, the training made her completely forget about the amber dragon. Though Aki and Mauras already made schedule for feeding them, Leatrix still worried because Androga felt hungry so fast. She bet that there was a black hole in his tiny belly. Just she thought, Androga was already chirping impatiently, asking for some meats to fill his belly. Leatrix just laughed and gave him what he needed. Old man said never arouse the anger of a hungry dragon. He was only a hatchling but he was still a dragon.

After Androga was full and happy, Leatrix took him outside with her, "See, they asked me to bring you again, I bet they like you," Androga answered her with a happy peep and blinking eyes. Leatrix saw as the Emerald Dragon escaped from her rider, slighly glancing at Androga for he might want to follow her steps. Thankfully that he didn't see her for he was too busy smelling the fresh flowers created by the Emerald, maybe he felt peaceful after the smell touched his wet nose.

A bath? This activity might be the most favorite one for dragons, but not for her. If they needed to bath the dragons.... It meant a lot of water needed to make them clean, right? She gulped and hold Androga tighter, making him squealing in uncomfortably and bit her shoulder lightly, "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to crush you," she said while petting his head as apology. As the curtain was pulled, Leatrix could feel that her knees shaking, a massive headache attacked her, and she started to weakened.

Unconsciously, Leatrix let Androga slipped from her hand, so now Androga was on the ground. Confused with Leatrix's act, he started to pull her by biting her clothes, but with his current size, it was impossible to move her, "Androga I can't...." Leatrix tried her best to stand on her feet, but her knees was killing her. The rest of group was already ahead, leaving only her and Androga behind. She didn't know if they managed to see her or not, but she really needed a hand. Androga was sitting right next to Leatrix, chirping in mellow voice as he didn't know what happened.


When she was losing hope, Leatrix heard someone talked to her....

Having been at the back of the group like he had been many times before, Theolyn paused upon realizing that not everyone was there. Nyteria had stopped struggling, instead moving to look over his shoulder at the baby dragon left behind. Turning to let his chocolate eyes settle on the golden-haired woman who was left standing stiff, staring at the pool of water, he took a moment to decide whether or not his interference would be a good thing.

As the others began to disappear, the farmer realized he needed to do something or risk getting left behind. Stepping towards her, he spoke softly, careful to not step near the baby on the ground furiously trying to pull her forward by her clothing. “We are moving on, Miss. Are you alright?

Leatrix looked at her fellow dragon rider spoke to her, it wasn't clear enough, but Leatrix managed to here something, "Ah, yes, sorry, I will be there...." her breath was getting deeper as she felt a large rock on her chest. She could puke anytime, but she didn't want to give bad impression to this man. What could he think about a woman that puke on his shoes?

Androga who started to get impatient, chirping in large voice, trying to get Leatrix's attention. He jumped in circle as he wanted her to see how excited he was and he wanted to go there like right now. Leatrix glanced at Androga and shook her head, "You should take a bath by yourself, Androga," she then shifted her ash gray eyes to the man, "I just hate a large body of water, I can't stand it, do you mind taking this little dragon with you? I don't think I can make it," Leatrix held her stomach with both of her hands, she realized that this phobia had started to drag her down.


He could hear her hyperventilating, see the distress written all over her face. After a moment, he set Nyteria on the floor, looking at her sternly. “You do not move from my feet, little flower.” She gave a squeak before looking over at Androga and nudging him slightly, speaking to him to calm down and understand that something was wrong with his rider. Her golden eyes shimmered with the same understanding that her own rider had.

Standing up straight, his bare back glistening from the exertion of the training sessions, he stepped forward and took her hand gently. “You cannot leave him by himself, Miss. He needs you. You can do it…you are just walking by. No need to look at it.” His voice was soft and encouraging, his hand rough in skin but gentle in touch. Slowly, he backed up, keeping her hand in his, guiding her towards the others with his little dragonling at his feet.

Androga felt a warm touch on his skin, it was the first time he felt someone else beside his rider, Leatrix. He looked at the green dragon and chirped happily, somehow he loved how it felt and nudged her back, "Androga... don't disturb her," even though she was weakened, Leatrix still keeping her stern act, made sure that Androga didn't cause any trouble when she was unaware. The little baby dragon answered her by making a small peep, but still looking at the green dragon.

As the tall man guided her, Leatrix pushed her feet forward, making tiny steps while closing her eyes. She didn't see the water, but her imagination still ran wild in her mind, making her still shaking in fear. However, Leatrix could feel that she was slowly walking. Androga who earlier was preoccupied by staring at the green dragon, now his attention was totally on Leatrix and the unknown man from nowhere. Seeing that he was holding her hand, Androga started to growl. It's not scary, instead it was sounded like a cute peep. Androga showed his tiny fangs and started to chomp the man's boots.


At Androga’s nudge, Nyteria chirped happily, spreading her un-webbed wings with delight as her little tail swished back and forth with glee. She huffed at Leatrix’s demand, deciding to nudge the dragonling beside her as if to give her message that she was not being disturbed.

Theolyn moved slowly, inching his way backwards and looking behind him every now and then to make sure he was heading in the right direction. He could feel the woman’s hand trembling in his. A woman who looked so much like a warrior quaking with fear. The thought made him smile somewhat sadly. He was glad he wasn’t alone in his strange and delusional fears.

When Androga bit into his boot, he tripped slightly, trying desperately to keep himself from falling over onto the little creature. “Look out, little one. I do not want to hurt you or your rider.” Nyteria, on the other hand, was not too appreciative of the treatment of her own rider, snapping her sharp little teeth on the Amber Dragon’s tail and pulling back with surprising verocity. “Nyteria! Be nice!

"Are we there yet?" Leatrix asked while still closing her eyes, she didn't know what would she find at the next area, maybe more and more water, but she needed to do this for Androga, for herself. Struggling with herself, Leatrix's ears still caught the problem from the ground. She could hear Androga growling and the man somehow tripped himself and his dragon seemed to get angry because of something. However, she couldn't do anything but saying everything she could to solve the problem.

"Androga? Why are you angry? Stop growling and behave, he tried to help me, so I don't want you to do anything bad to him or his dragon, I'm trying my best here..." Androga snorted and glared at the green dragon who hurted his precious tail. He growled at her, but didn't want to disobey Leatrix's order. Androga looked at Leatrix and the man alternately, made sure that Leatrix was safe and sound. Sometimes, he would still a glance at the green dragon, but threw his head away when she looked at him. His tail was still throbbing because of her bite, he was not going to play easy.


Almost,” he responded, having finally made it to the curtain that everyone else had made it to just a moment ago. “Just through here, and you won’t see the water anymore.” Pausing to pull the curtain aside, he inched her inside, watching as it closed behind her, leaving behind the view of the water. He let go of her hand then, smiling gingerly. “There, we’re here now. No more water. Shall we catch up to the others then?

Nyteria, who had finally let go of Androga, growled back. But her mind spoke to him. ~Why so mean?~ She asked innocently, golden eyes unsure of why the dragon before her was acting this way. As Theolyn scooped her up in his arms, she huffed and spoke again to Androga. ~Bath time is happy time.~
The sound of water started to fade away as Leatrix walked farther and farther. When the male voice rang on her ears, saying that the water was gone, Leatrix finally could breath freely and smiling at him, "Thank you, I really appreciate it," seeing that other was already gather, Leatrix quickly held Androga in her arms and bowed at him, "I'll see you again and thank you, I owe you one."

Androga looked at the beautiful green dragon and answered her ~I hate it when he holds her hands, who is he anyway??~ Androga knew that no one could take Leatrix away from him. She might be very stern and sometimes can be evil, but she was the first person he saw when he came out, who could he trust beside her anyway? As soon as Androga felt Leatrix's arms around him, he replied her again before he said goodbye ~Yes, the happiest!~.

Right after Leatrix left the kind man, she realized that she forgot something. She didn't ask his name, she sighed. Next time she met him, Leatrix would surely ask him his name.
With the help of her kind fellow dragon rider, Leatrix managed to join the group. Androga was so excited that he finally here to take a bath. Slowly Leatrix regained herself again after walking through the nightmare. Aki was now starting to demonstrate how to bathe the dragons. Leatrix took a handful of sand and started to rub Androga's slowly. Androga squirmed happily as the soft sand rubbed his skin. It was ticklish so sometimes Androga would wiggled his body, "Do you like it, huh? I'm gonna make you look pretty," Androga glared at Leatrix and growled, "I mean handsome and gallant," she laughed, Leatrix still amazed by how feminine Androga was, he would be very pretty if he was a female.

When she was finished with the scrubbing, Aki then demonstrating another thing to do, the massaging, at least that's how Leatrix thought about the oil and things. Watching Aki carefully, Leatrix began to do the same thing. She started with his wings then to his back. When she was carefully massaging his back, Leatrix scratched her finger and a small drip of blood coming out from it, "Ouch, what was that?" Leatrix leaned her head closer to see what hurt her and she found that a tiny spikes started to grow. Androga looked at her bleeding finger and started to lick it, "Hey, don't do that, I'm okay," Leatrix brushed her finger on her clothes to wipe away the blood. Thankfully it wasn't too deep, so the blood stopped quickly.

After she was finished, Leatrix never knew that Androga would cause a scheme with the white dragon and rainbow dragon, not a really good way to make friends.


Coming out of the dragon baths, Cora couldn't help but smile at her hatchling as he walked beside her with an air of dignity, his scales still dull like milk but completely unblemished. The albino looked up at her with satisfaction in his rosy eyes, something Cora herself could identify with. She loved being clean, loved being able to scrub at her skin at watch the dirt fade away; it was wholesome, it was complete, and always left her feeling more pure than before. "Seems like we'll be spending a lot of time in the baths, kid," the sailor said, looking down at her baby with a grin. Cassius chirped in agreement and gave his tail a little extra swish, delighted by his own cleanliness and feeling too vivacious to fall asleep just yet; so, instead of exiting the bath chamber through the north door, the pair decided to leave through the south and take a slightly longer walk to their chambers.

The rainbow mass, still nameless, watched his rider flounder in the water. Satisfaction shone in his opalesque eyes. Yes, his mischief had been managed and he was clean….No it was time to go get dirty again. The Ammolite hatchling watched his rider pull herself from the water, glaring at him the entire time. Her gaze promised retribution. But the babe was not afraid of a human. After Nari was fully out, she turned away from him, and began to wring out her drenched clothes. Something she would soon find out, was an unwise move on her part. The rainbow smirked a dragony smile before he began to slink towards the shadows and away from the human. Mischief still bubbled in him strongly. That was when his eyes were caught by another hatchling leaving the cave with his human. The mischief went from a bubble to a boil.

Soon, the slinking rainbow picked up it’s speed, even going so far as to attempt a run, tripping over his larger than average wings. However it wasn’t long before he was darting out of the southern entrance and he began to tail the silver dragon and his human. Of course, all it would take is one look back to see the rainbow mass who fancied himself quite clever. But that never crossed the creatures mind as he followed along, bidding his time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce the smaller creature. A yawn bubbled at the base of his throat, but it was swallowed down. He did not have time for sleeping! He could do that later! Right now. He had playmate to catch.


Androga flapped his wings several times and moved a lot when he was cleaned, causing a lot of splashes which made Leatrix quiet wet from chest to her waist, "Thank you for your kindness to clean me up as well," she said sighing while drying herself with her hands. Maybe this was his way to help Leatrix felt relax. After making sure that Androga was clean and sparkling enough, Leatrix dried him with nearest cloth, "Stop moving around, I'm trying to make you dry, Androga," Androga, who was freshened now, ready to spend his overflow energy.

As soon as his amber eyes saw the rainbow dragon slipped away from his rider and ran away. His face turned foxy and the only one thing that popped in his mind was... FOLLOW HIM! Androga moved violently in Leatrix's arms and jumped from her shoulder, landing successfully on the ground before he ran as fast as he could to follow the rainbow dragon, leaving the mad blonde rider shouted his name several times.

His step might be a little bit unstable, causing him to slip and stumble several times, but not enough to stop him from chasing the rainbow dragon. Androga then realized that this rainbow dragon was following another dragon with his rider. Another plan formed in his little mind. The rainbow dragon seemed to slowing his step and followed them gradually, but Androga preferred to strike the white dragon directly. Turning to the right side, Androga passed the rainbow dragon then the white dragon. Thanks to his quick tiny feet, Androga now was right in front of the them. He stopped and turned his body, smiling and blinking his eyes excitedly before ran toward the white dragon from the front. His happy high-pitched voice could be heard as it echoed along the entire cave.


As the unlikely pair strolled down the hallway, Cassius couldn't help but swell with pride each time he noticed his rider admiring his pristine, white scales. At only a day old, nothing was quite as valuable to the albino dragon as Cora's attention, and he enjoyed the simple pleasure of feeling as clean and beautiful as she looked to him. Regardless of the invigorating bath, the newborn felt his exhaustion building with every step, producing several yawns and putting weight on his drooping eyelids. Above him, the sailor gave a secret smile and prepared to carry her dragon the rest of the way to their shared chambers; it seemed that taking the long route had served its purpose well.

Before Cora could scoop her hatchling up into her arms, the little white dragon snapped to attention and swung his head backwards, toward the baths from which they had come. The fisherwoman looked at him curiously, then gently nudged him with her boot after a moment or two."What's up, kid?" she asked, staring back into the hallway in an attempt to see what had spooked her ordinarily calm-and-collected Silver. Cassius took a step forward, then another, until he was trotting down the hallway with intent in his step, apparently refreshed with a new resolve to reach his room as quickly as possible.

The reason for such a sudden change in mannerism became apparent to Cora as she saw the beautiful golden dragon sprint toward them, making a beeline for Cassius with an intense look on its face. Absolutely terrified, the albino broke from his rider's side and began to run, struggling not to trip over his two wings or legs; his fears were obviously misplaced, however, as the other hatchling ran a ways past them. "Doesn't that thing have a human?" the sailor grumbled, disgruntled by her dragon's fright. "Hey Cass, look, it's alright ... Cass?" To Cora's surprise, her hatchling had not stopped running, and was now a good deal ahead of her. A rainbow-colored blur streaked past her, its bright pelt muted by the shadows, heading toward her dragon and the golden one. 'Oh boy.'

Although Cassius saw his golden peer sprint past him, he could hear another not far behind, and it drew upon a basic sense of panic that told him to run. Just as he was about to round a turn, a looming golden figure stood before him, body arrayed in what the albino perceived as a threatening position. Frightened, the hatchling turned to run back to his rider, only to catch a glimpse of a rainbow-colored shadow slinking up at the rear. Desperate and scared, Cassius tried in vain to connect to his rider, who at that time experienced a skull-splitting pain in her head that forced her to lean against a wall for a moment. Without a savior in sight, the albino turned and backed into a wall, making defensive peeping noises as he eyed the other dragons nervously.


How in the gods' name did I lose a walking rainbow?! She yelled at herself , trying to choke down the frantic feelings that were trying to take root in her gut. The woman looked around before she thought it over. He must've gone back to our chamber...I hope... With that, the woman, unknowingly, left through the opposite entryway that her dearly departed beast had escaped through. I'm going to turn him into a pair of boots! she snarled as her own soaked form disappeared from the bathing chambers.

Meanwhile....

Said rainbow's eyes narrowed as a golden blur shot past him. For a moment, indignation burst in his gut. Was the golden one trying to steal his fun? But soon, his mind caught up with the opportunity this presented, his ire dying as he quickened his pace and dove into the chase as the white scaled creature burst into a frantic run. Every predatory instinct in the rainbow's body urged him to give chase. And so he did, stumbling over his wings over a couple of times as adrenaline spiked. The hatchling zoomed past the human woman in pursuit of the dragon who'd just been by her side.

It wasn't long before the rainbow saw the smaller, pale dragon and the golden one. He slowed down back into a slink as he approached the two of them. He lowered his head, almost as if he were indeed a beast trying to hunt the poor white creature. But when he drew just a few feet away, his entire posture straightened as his eyes shone with mirth and he gave a happy chirp and a small happy flick of his tail. Looking from white to gold.


Androga was just about few steps from the scared white dragon, Androga slipped and fell, making his little body rolled perfectly and stopped right beside the white dragon and his dragon. However, the tiny pain didn't stop him from playing with his fellow dragons. Since now the rainbow dragon was also there, not far from both of them. Androga sent him a happy chirp, talking in his messy baby dragon language. In summary, he told the rainbow and white dragon to play together, but he didn't know that his words were in a mess that they might not understand.

Slowly, Androga approached the white dragon, flapped his wings several times before finally the distance between them was disappeared. The white dragon seemed scared that he kept on putting his defend stance. Confused, Androga leaned his head closer to him, chirped lowly to make him relax. Seeing that his fear still occupied his face, Androga looked at the rainbow dragon who didn't seemed to be scared. Chirping to him, Androga gave some kind of mix signal to help him with this frightened dragon.


As Cassius discovered when he hadn't been torn to shreds, what basic instinct had told him was to be a fight for his life had turned into a friendly encounter between peers. Even with the realization that the other dragons wouldn't hurt him, the albino still remained somewhat tense as he eyed them warily, rosy eyes shifting in unease. The rainbow brother was staring with a cheerful expression, and the golden one began to chatter in an unfamiliar language. Calmed not by the latter's soothing chirps but by the approaching footsteps of a certain sailor, the Silver slowly relaxed and sat down, looking toward the bend in the tunnel with hopeful pink eyes.

Cora came jogging around the bend in the tunnel, making a beeline for her dragon once she had spotted his little white form. Before she could fully extend her arms, the hatchling had leaped into them with a low cry, pressing himself firmly against his rider's torso and calming down as a result. He chirped an apology down at the two other dragons, released an enormous yawn, and tried to make himself comfortable in his rider's arms.

Although Cassius was easily pleased, Cora was irritated at the overeager actions of the others' dragons, having been very affected by the fear of her hatchling. She held the baby close, and looked down at the other two with a stern frown. "Hey, you kids should be sleeping," the sailor muttered, her head still pounding. After taking a look at the two hatchlings, she couldn't blame Cass for running. One was the rainbow dragon, and the other was the dainty golden dragon: two very beautiful and doubtlessly intimidating species chasing after her poor baby Silver. Without much else to do, Cora stood with the two dragons at her feet and waited for their 'parents' to come and pick them up.


Leatrix stomp her way along the cave, her ash gray eyes burnt in fiery as she tried to find this naughty amber dragon. He really needed to be punished, he just hatched and his act had started out of control. When she finally made her way to catch up with her dragon, Leatrix quickly approached the party, another 'escaped' dragon and a dragon rider with her frightened dragon. The blonde woman could see how her dragon, Androga, and the dazzling rainbow dragon seems so intimidatin with their overjoyed move.

"Androga! Come here!" she called Androga, not in soft voice anymore. Her patient was drained right to the bottom. Androga jumped in shock as he saw his rider's voice, he wished that he could just go poof, disappeared from Leatrix's sight. His thrill vanished into thin air, replaced by horror. Leatrix tapped her foot impatiently while her long arms folded in her chest. Androga bowed her head in sadness and started to walk backward, placing himself beside the angry witch, this exact moment was the first time Androga realized how scary Leatrix could be.

When Androga finally right on her side, Leatrix looked at the female dragon rider and smiled in apology, "I'm so sorry, I failed to keep him in control," Leatrix then shifted her eyes to the white dragon, "I'm so sorry, little one, Androga is a nice dragon..." Androga perked his ears up as soon as he hear 'nice dragon', but back to his sad posture when Leatrix glared at her, "...he just needed to control his behavior, I promise that he won't do it again, I hope you can still be friends," Leatrix smiled again, but then erased her smile while she looked at Androga, "You're in trouble, boy," Androa pouted as a sad chirp slipped outside his mouth.


The rainbow mass gifted the short haired human with an indignant snort before turning away. He could sleep later. Even as he thought this, a yawn tore from his throat much to his aggravation. He didn't want to sleep. Sleep was boring! The rainbow turned away from the small group with a huff. But his attention was quickly recaptured as another human came upon them. This one had lighter hair....and an angry voice. The dragon who would eventually be named Helix glanced between the other pursuer and this new blonde woman. He understood that this was that dragons human. Opal eyes glanced between the two pairs and a small longing hitched into his chest for his human. He left the two two-leggers to talk among themselves, once again slinking away. Making his way towards Nari.

Meanwhile, Nari had worked herself into a state of franticness. Enough so that she felt foolish.

"I'm turning him into boots!" She snarled as she slammed the trunk's lid down. She'd even began to look in places that the hatchling shouldn't be able to access. The woman felt sick with worry. Surely he wouldn’t be able to hurt himself here, right? The woman turned ready to head back out into the hall. Her own room in their quarters looked like a hurricane had struck. The woman breezed through the curtain then tripped. A loud, startled squeaking squeal sounded and Nari looked back from where she'd caught herself. Relief flooded through her instantly as she looked over the disgruntled rainbow. Then ire.

"You bloody little bastard!" She snarled at him before scooping him and storming into their rooms. She paused, adjusting her hold on the squirming mass before she made a beeline for the trunk she'd just slammed to a close. The woman opened it, shoved some sort of cloth thing in it, she didn't pay attention to what, then plopped the hatchling in before promptly closing the lid and sitting on it.

"You're in timeout. Go to sleep." Her voice still came out in a snarl, almost as if she were some great beast herself. From within the trunk, there were a few thunking sounds and the hatchlings owe best snarl attempt. The sounds form inside of the trunk continued for some time before the troublemaker finally wiped himself out. After some time had passed of silence, Nari pulled away and peeked inside of the trunk careful and quiet. There was a sleeping rainbow, foul mood still scrawled across his face. But sleeping and safe. Nari eased the trunk open and let it stay open. For now, she was satisfied.

It wasn't long before the golden-haired rider came stomping down the hall to collect her golden-scaled dragon, who, after looking upon his furious partner, shrank down against the floor. Cora couldn't say she felt sorry for the rascal while holding her quaking dragon, even if the albino now seemed curious instead of frightened of his peers as he had been earlier. The golden dragon slunk across the floor to his rider's side as the other woman offered an apology, to which Cora offered a stiff, "It's fine," followed by a slight nod. She was irritated, but it was obvious that not all of the hatchlings were as mild-mannered as her own, and this woman seemed to have things as in-control as was possible. Upon hearing the apology, Cassius swiveled around in his rider's arms and gave Leatrix a friendly chirp, then stared down in puzzlement at his cowering brother, wondering silently where the rainbow-colored dragon had gone.

Cora nodded again, and turned to walk back to her room. "It's fine," she repeated, unsure of how to close the short conversation. "See you in the training room." Without further ado, the sailor continued along the path to feed her hungry dragon.


Leatrix nodded and smiled as the white dragon rider walked away. She looked at Androga, still upset and mad. Without saying anything to him, Leatrix turned her body away from him and walked toward Androga's dragon. Even though she was totally mad at him, she still cared about Androga and needed to feed him. She bet that Androga had drained his whole energy and needed some meats to fill his hungry belly, didn't want to see him starving no matter what he had done.
After they were returned to the cave, Leatrix glared at Androga and sighed, "How many times do I need to tell you to behave yourself? Are you trying to make me crazy? Can't you see that the dragon was scared? What if the rider was mad enough to hit you? What should I do? I do this for your sake, but all you can do is causing trouble here and there," Leatrix threw her hands on the air, making gesture that clearly shown her anger. Androga just looked down at the floor, thought he didn't really understand her words, Androga knew that she was mad, totally mad. Since Leatrix needed to train again, she left Androga alone, leaving a message to him, "Stay here and think about what you did while I'm away."

The rest of the day spent by training with real partner but also with dummies, feed the dragon, and finally dinner. Leatrix really drained herself today, the bath was totally ate her stamina a lot more than the training. Then, Androga escaped, making other dragon shaking in fear because of his random act. She would need to face this things for the next years. It was exhausting, but she knew she could learn something and maybe would bring her closer to achieve her goal. One important thing that she noted today was Leatrix really needed to overcome her phobia. She would do the bath time a lot and Androga needed her, she couldn't just tell Androga to clean himself even though she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, Leatrix threw herself on the bed. She managed to keep alive today, tomorrow couldn't be worse.
 
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Having been gone for most of the night, Nero finally appears in the center cavern with someone in tow. The room is completely silent but for the flickering silver flames that beat with the rhythm of a heart. No one is there, it would seem. He looked down towards the one he had brought, smiling happily before pointing her towards the violet curtain that leads to the private chambers.

She gave you the remnants of the creature who killed the little one’s rider, yes? I’m sure she is already sending the baby’s soul down so she can hatch. You’d like to be there, yes?” He is gleeful, even if there is a small bit of melancholy from the events of the night before. The rider that had been meant for the little dragonling did not make it to the island, despite the efforts of Inhalla. Death had played a prank, and it cost his mother dearly…but at least the kuelo that killed the unfortunate rider was now jerky in the endless pockets of the little Bloodstone’s new companion. “Follow me,” he said, swooping towards the curtain and drawing it back.

They passed many rooms, coming to settle upon the green and red curtain. Though it did not shimmer like many of the others, it had a beauty all its own. As he opened the curtain to reveal the little egg sitting on a pedestal of shimmering water, warm like the waters of a swamp, the smell that permeated the air came to slam against the senses. Choking on it a moment, Nero coughed. “All yours…let me know…when you want to meet everyone else.

Just as he said this, the egg began to wobble.

There is a part of Boo that was fairly dancing about singing loudly. What?! It’s a beautiful day! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!! Imagine, a dragon of her own. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! Dance, dance, dance. Uber beautiful, delightful, greatest day EVER. Ever, ever, ever.

Okay, that part of her is mostly all of her. She might have down-sided herself there. But, in her defense, there is a tiny voice that worries that she wont be enough for the precious, precious dragon. HER precious! Oh my, oh my, HER dragon.

Dance, dance, dance.

Dragon, dragon, dragon.

She looks at Nero, eyes shining. Ever so excited, and unable to hide that. You know, the random dancing, the shaking, the slight hint of random giggles. Poor Nero, he’s lucky she hasn’t grabbed him to dance with her. She had been seriously tempted! Instead, she is trying hard to be….mature. She can do it! She can. She is pretty sure.

Quiet. Still. Small steps. Slight electric slide here when he isn’t looking. Mature. Quiet. Still. Small steps. Sliiiiiiiiiiiiiide. Mature. Ohhhhhhh. Pretty curtain.

Tiny, malformed fingers run over the pretty curtain. A slight tremble to them. Mature. Mature. Quiet.

Dragon’s Breath Opal eyes zero in on the egg. Widen. Breath drawn in. Held. SO PRETTY!. She doesn’t catch the smell. She doesn’t have the capabilities to gather smells even as well as humans could. All that ability went to the males of the Lasrao race. Pochis couldn’t smell for shit. Probably a good thing in this moment.

“OHHHHHH!”

This exhalation of air soft, but drawn out. She barely even notices Nero coughing. She just cant focus on anything other than that egg. She steps forward, tiny malformed fingers moving forward, as if to touch the egg. It’s wobbling sending even more excitement through her.

“Isn’t the egg beautiful, Nero?! No egg has ever been prettier, I am sure, Nero. Well, yours probably was on par. Imagine.Adragonallmyown.Ialwayswantedsuch.DoyouthinkshewilllovemeasmuchasIwillloveher?Imagine,Nero!Minemineminemine.”

Fingers brush over the egg. It’s harder than she had imagined it would be. Perhaps her excitement getting the better of her. She doesn’t know. The warm water only adds to it all. She runs a finger through that. Could she be dreaming? Was this merely that, not real?

No, no. Kallydrana nor Nero would do that to her. Excitement returned, even as the egg shakes hard. Her finger keeps it within that warm, slightly thickened water. A crack ripples down the side closest to her. Her face moves closer, a soft “Ohhhhhh” pulled from her again.

This is about the exact moment that the crack becomes bigger and a piece falls into the egg itself. A tiny nose pokes through that hole. The hole growing larger.

Boo’s face comes even closer to that egg. Her eyes round and large on that green nose. She shivers with her excitement, and her attempt not to dance in place again. The hole is even larger now, and, suddenly, there is a burp from that tiny green with red spots. A slight cloud comes from the tiny mouth. A tiny sneeze comes from her before she giggles.

“That’s it, my wee Whoo! Look, Nero, she is a brave wee lass.”

More giggling, and now….dance, dance, dance. She watches, making sure not to knock over the stand and such. But, the very moment the crack completely splits open, spilling out the precious cargo, the Pochi darts forward, catching the wee dragonet. Her malformed hands are gentle as they catch the form. And, there it is: love at true first sight! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOOOTIFUL!

“Ohmy,ohmy,ohmy. Youaresobeautiful. Thereisnoonemoreso. NotevenNero. Sorry,Nero! You,myweeWhoo,areabsolutelyperfection.Perfection!”

And, that is when she feels the touch of her precious Whoo. The words coming through her mind. She very nearly squeeeeees.

~Mine? My rider? Mineminemine~

“Ohmy,ohmy,ohmy. Perfect. Yes,IamyourPochi!”

One has to feel sorry for….well, the whole world.

Seeing the absolute and utter delight not only from Boo, but also from her little dragon companion, now named Whoo, Nero gave a laugh. Much of his melancholy emotions fall away to his delight, and he dances around the room, having placed special plugs in his nose (i.e. tissues) to block out the smell. It’s a good thing she’s immune to the magical breath weapons, as the baby burped and let out a cloud of poisonous smoke. Boo didn’t even seem to notice.

Okay, Boo. Do you want to go to meet the others now?

The Pochi has a deep and abiding love for dragons. It’s a literal part of her DNA. Her race had been created to help the dragons of Xairuri. True, this isn’t Xairuri, but the Father had given over her protection to Kallydrana, the Mother of this world and the dragons. The Pochi hasn’t been changed enough for that love to be gone. It could even be said its deepened even further. Either way, she is utterly entranced with this tiny bundle that is…hers.

Boo understands who and what she is. There are ancestral memories within her. She knows that this is….her destiny. A Pochi is destined to belong to a dragon. All the items within her bag now belong to this wee hatchling. Oh! That will be fun to explore! She just cant wait.

She trembles with the excitement over the future. Her face stretching with her smile. Her Dragon’s Breath Opal eyes shining with her excitement and happiness. She cradles Whoo close, turning her head to look at Nero.

“Oh! Yes, please, Nero. I would love to meet the others. Same with Whoo. We both are ready for the beginning of our adventure.”

There is a flicker about her fingers, a hint of blue reswhah leaking there where she touches Whoo. This is more just due to the emotions that are filling her. Her own. She so very rarely has them, and this is a lot. She is filled to the bursting by her own emotions, Nero’s, Whoo’s and a sliver from others that might be near. She is unaware that Whoo is giving off pain. She doesn’t feel what she takes in, though the instincts of what she is has deepened and kicked in, meaning the Pochi is drawing in that pain to save the hatchling from suffering.

She follows Nero, whispering to Whoo. The two carrying on a conversation that would probably seem utter nonsense to anyone else that hears her side of the conversation. It’s mostly merely discussing the games they can learn together. That she knows she will need to learn to hunt, and perhaps Whoo can teach her. Also, much ego stroking. She is a Pochi, after all, and Whoo is her hatchling.

She pauses just inside the giant cavern, taking in the cavern. A huge wall to one side seems to carry shelves of…well, supplies. Bathing supplies, that is. The pool itself is so huge she can just picture three giant, massive dragons bathing leisurely together in it. Yet, there are only the babies here. Well, and….humans. She cant remember seeing so many…humans.

There is a whisper of some memory fragment that moves through her. She pushes it away with a shiver, instead focusing on the lily pad like things floating atop the shimmering, lit from below water. She glances towards her precious Whoo, then at Nero. And, shyness now invading, she whispers to him.

“Nero, where’s the bubbles? Whoo must have bubbles so she is not damaged. Magic bubbles to make her smell so perty!”
 
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Skolas and Kranon

Training was...uneventful to say the least. The time spent attacking and hacking at the hay dummy only allowed his blade to turn the object into shreds of its once useless form, each swing was combined with the thoughts of what Skolas had done to get to this point. Rage, Anger, Sorrow, each emotion reflected in the blades cutting motion as it seemed to glide through the hay and fabric holding it together. Before he knew it time had seemed to jump forward as he heard Aki talking of the next situation. Feeding and bathing the dragons, yay. Noticing some had run past to get to their dragons Skolas simply strode to Kranon with a casual walk before he heard the snapping of teeth in the air.

Then as he strode around the corner there Kranon was in all his glory. Teeth snapping in the air as he attempted to catch what ever was buzzing around his little head, Kranon looked towards Skolas with a solid stare as if he was saying "Well your late". Skolas simply smirked and huffed with amusement, "Yeah, yeah your hungry I know" Skolas re-assured Kranon as he moved to grab a large handful of meat and knelt down infront of his new friend. Then without a second glance Kranon gobbled up the meat in the blink of an eye leaving nothing but a feint red patch in the palm of Skolas's hand.

With a gently tap on Kranons nose Skolas spoke out "No, you don't to that, bad manners, you eat calmly" Kranon giving off a soft snap of his jaw towards the hand, yet not touching it. Skolas then grabbing out another chunk of meat Skolas tried again, Kranon now moved to pick up the meat in his mouth rather than whoosh it down like last time. Kranon then looked up to Skolas with a glint in his eye with a tilt of his head "There, that was much better" Skolas spoke with a nod giving Kranon a stroke along the top of of his head.

After about 15 minutes or so Kranon had finished the barrel of meat that the staff left out for the Dragons, however now Kranon was restless..."Alright you, Bath time " Kranons head piped up at the words and he began to roll around the room, knocking over some vases that were placed around the cave, his tail beginning to wreck what was making his cave look nice. Kranon however did not care for this and continued until he leapt through the curtain and into the pit of granite shards and obsidian chunks making the shards jump out and go everywhere, Skolas attempted to chase the little drake through the cave diving more than once to protect the vases only to receive a rock solid tail into the face or gut. Skolas sighed over and over at the constant destruction this young dragon caused, Skolas hated to think what he would be like when he was bigger. Still there Kranon stood proud as ever at the tip of his path of destruction.

Kranon yapped and bobbed his head up and down flicking some shards towards Skolas with a glint in his eye as Skolas ploughed his palm into his face "this is gonna be harder than I thought" yet still Skolas knelt and began to kneed the stones into the scales of Kranon, cleaning off imperfections and any dirt that may have settled between the scales. Despite the scales being young and fresh they still had a soft gloss to them, the light would bounce off the scales if it was the right angle showing the true beauty and might of Kranon. Still, maybe it was time the two got out and actually spoke to the other riders.

Now that the two had a moment to themselves before the next training would start Skolas and Kranon simply sat in silence, Kranon spent the time staring up at Skolas and kneeding his head into his riders hands whilst Skolas simply allowed himself to adore his friend infront of him. Knowing that this dragon may very well be a new start for Skolas, both rider and dragon were thankful with whom they were paired with, despite the short time they had, they knew that this was no easy bond to break.


However training must go on. "Well buddy, duty calls" Skolas then stood up and grabbed his helmet from the side table. Sliding it over his face he looked to Kranon who had his head tilted softly "Stay here, and don't break anything...more" and with that Skolas moved back out into the training ground.

Before what seemed like long Kranon returned and once more fed the hungry Kranon. To his amazement, no more vases were broken and instead Kranon had been humbly sleeping on the bed, snoring away dreaming of what ever dragons dreamt of, yet just like Skolas he was a heavy sleeper and so placing him in his little pit of shards was quite easy. Then looking outside of his cave he noticed no one coming or near, he had time finally. Closing the curtain to the entrance he took a knee next to his bed, removing his helmet he took out his sword and placed it across the bed in front of him. The once blade that had been 'Cursed' was now about to be prayed upon by a lonely soul. Clasping his hands together Skolas began to mutter to himself letting only the whispers of Father and Brother and the causal 'Why?' being slipped out. It was then it would be noticed that the ground under his head was damp with the water of tears that had crashed into the ground.

Then as if nothing had happened, Skolas began to remove his armor leaving himself in only the under rags of a shirt and pants that he wore under the armor
plating before he slipped into the bed and began to drift off to sleep. Awaiting the next day and its challenges.
 

Aiyana & Winona

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Unbelievable. Aiyana kicked back on the small cot in her 'room' boots still on. This whole think was unbelievable. When she'd been convinced to come to the island she did not think there would be others. Not to mention their evident delight in the whole idea made her sick. Truthfully Aiyana had not known what to expect when she decided to come, but she had not expected this. Dragons? Inhalla? Syntibashit. Sure, she believed in 'destiny': she believed in making her own, thank you very much. Who did Aki and Mauras think they were, telling her how her 'new life' was going to be and ordering her to take care of a baby dragon? No mistake, Aiyana defiantly could do it, no problem. She could dragon-care the hell out of that feathery turquoize baby, and do it better than any of the others. But this was being forced upon her. If she had wanted to take care of an infant, she would have gotten pregnant. And not only was she expected to babysit, she was being forced into training sequences. And not the good kind either. She had listened to the feelings and voices in her head and traveled to the Island in attemt to get her life back, not have it taken from her. No, she would not stand for this. Aiyana kicked off her boots and rolled over on the cot in preparation to get a few hours sleep. She would sneak out at first light, when they were suppose to stay hidden. Aki and Mauras could find some other sucker to follow their orders.

Aiyana opened her eyes and stared at the long tail of the baby dragon, the only part of it visible from under her cot where it had taken refuge. When she had entered the room to see the jeweled egg waiting for her, she had stared at it in utter surprise and horror until it had hatched. The egg's evicted occupant had emerged carefully only to look at her with the same wide-eyed, confused expression frozen on it's small face. When Aiyana had demanded to know what the hell was going on the little creature had squeaked in fright and had waddled under the cot to hide. Then she had been expected to feed it. At this point the baby was mewling frantically so Aiyana really saw no other option. She'd thrust the meat toward it but that only made it retreat deeper under the cot. Then Aiyana had tried placing the strip of meat on the ground for it to pick up. But that action seemed to be above it's skill set as of yet. The baby had snapped at the meat, turning it's head sideways, but seemed unable to grasp the meat in its small jaws. It ended up on it's side then on it's back, staring up helplessly and expectantly at her. Eventually they came up with a system that suited them both: Aiyana dangled a piece of meat between her thumb and for-finger, and the dragon would snatch it out of her grasp.

Suddenly, as if the baby knew she was thinking about it, it's little tail twitched then disappeared under the cot completely. Then one set of tiny claws appeared on the side of her cot, gripping the edge. Then a little snout appeared, followed by two brilliant eyes. It commenced to stare at her with curious wonder, half hidden under the cot still. Aiyana sighed.

"Hungry?" she asked it. It just stared at her. "Well, I do not think I will be here long. You will have to get use to someone else feeding you." Aiyana closed her eyes but still felt those brilliant orbs staring into her soul. "Stop it." she said without opening her eyes. It squeaked. Aiyana opened her eyes to look at it once more. It was actually cocking it's head at her questioningly. "No." Aiyana said. There was really no point staying here a minute longer. It seemed quiet now. The others probably wouldn't notice her absence until later. Aiyana sat up and pulled on her boots. She slung her pack over her shoulder.

Russel, russel. Thump.

The baby had climbed up on the cot and laid down, still staring at her. Aiyana sighed again but held out a piece of meat for it. The dragon sniffed it tentatively before gingerly taking it. Apparently it wasn't hungry. "Just...stay here." Aiyana had no idea why she was talking out loud to it. It had intelligent eyes, but it was only a baby. It probably couldn't understand her anyway and besides it probably spoke dragon. Aiyana draped the blanket over it's body, letting it's slender neck and head peek out. It was only decent to try and make sure it would be comfortable. The baby seemed to appreciate the warmth and yawned contently before snuggling into the blankets. "Good girl." Aiyana stood up carefully and tiptoed to the curtained doorway, trying not to disturb the dragon or anyone else. She peeked out. It was dark and quiet, and Aiyana saw no one in sight. She slipped around the curtain and padded quietly down the hall.

One thought perferated the silence of her thoughts.
I hope there are boats.
 
[fieldbox="Kthudur – 14 Vonas – 1914 - The First Hunt, green, dashed, Andale Mono"]
Theolyn.png
The shimmering light of the two larger moons in the skies danced across the dancing blades of soft green grass of the clearing as the group stood there in the cool air of autumn. Many of the leaves have already fallen from the massive trees that surround the clearing, whisked away on the whipping winds that swoop through the valley beside the mountain that housed the Silver Lair. The young dragon riders stood in a semi-circle, each standing in their own way. It was only their second day, of course, so there was little to be expected of them. Their leaders, however, stood at parade rest, their feet planted at shoulder-width with their elbows at a near-perfect bend so that their hands crossed behind their backs. Aki had replaced her beautiful scimitars with a crudely-made bow and a quiver of arrows, and her silver hair was braided and then folded into a bun at the base of her skull. Mauras had a belt of daggers that showed briefly every now and then from beneath his knee-length black duster as well as his own bow and quiver of arrows. Their eyes took in the sights of those they would be training tonight.

Theolyn stood in the cold air, tall and clear-headed. Their babies had already been fed, and they had already eaten breakfast. He trembled at the sight of the bows on his leaders’ backs, knowing that the omen that the weapons carried was a bad one. At least for him. And as Xaria came striding out from the lair with large satchels strapped to her back where Aki usually sat followed by Xanras with a much larger version of the same thing, his fears were confirmed.

There was going to be a hunt tonight.

Alright, everyone,” Aki said, relieving herself of her stance before them to open one of the satchels hanging like a saddle bag down Xaria’s side, “Tonight is our first hunting lesson. In order to eat and to feed your little ones, everyone will need to learn such a feat. The fine meals come from somewhere, and while we have everything for the next week, you must all learn quickly in order to survive.” As she said this, she pulled out a bundle of bows, all obviously hand-made. Turning to look briefly at the group, she counted the archers and returning two bows to the satchel before passing them out to everyone who did not already have a bow. Behind her, Mauras did the same with quivers filled with twenty arrows each.

W-what about crops? Do you know how to grow them?” Theolyn pleaded, too pained at the thought of hunting to even put the quiver on his back. He stood there a moment, holding the weapon and leather quiver away from him, as if they would contaminate his person if he held them any closer. Aki and Mauras looked towards him, their brows furrowing.

It was at this moment in time that Nero appeared out of thin air, struggling with the weight of the slug he bear hugged to him. They dropped to the ground with an oof…well, more of an indignant squeak in from Tal. Nero almost immediately regained his composure, dusting himself off and looking at everyone with a smile. “Good evening, everyone! I hope you are all adjusting well to the life of dragon raising. I had to go visit someone special, so my apologies for being late. As for your question, Theolyn, we do not have crops. It would be very welcomed of you to grow us some. I can even five you a beautiful spot to grow what it needed. Do you have the seeds, or do you need some?” He looked towards Boo next, smiling sweetly at her before swooping towards her and patting her on the head. “If you’d like, sweet one, I would greatly appreciate it if you helped the farmer tend to his crops. We need more than meet to survive. At least, the humans do.

Theolyn almost fell sideways with relief at this, dropping the bow and quiver as if any second more of holding them would harm him physically. “I have seeds left over from my time in the North, but I do not know what will grow here. I am guessing we will need fruits and nuts as well as wheat for bread.” He broke rank then, walking towards where Nero and Boo stood. Nero quickly ushered them to the side to speak to them separately.

Right,” Aki said, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger before sighing and giving a shrug, “As for the rest of you, I want a straight line right in front. The two good archers, stand off to the side. You will be in the rear for this. We only have a couple of hours to hunt before we must get back to feed the youngsters.

As the group lined up, Mauras and Aki examined each rider, correcting some where needed. When everyone was settled, they gave evens and odds to each. “Evens, I want you in front. Odds, take two steps back. Eolo and Khajju, you stand in the very back. I trust you not to hit your comrades. The dragons will fly overhead and spot prey for us, and we will be expected to hit them from the ground. I will take up the front. Mauras will be in the rear. Any questions before we go?

Off to the side, Nero spoke to Theolyn and Boo lightly, magically summoning different bags of seeds for them to hold. “If you need anything, please do let me know. These are gifts from Inhalla. She would like me to wish you both luck. Now, if you follow me, I will lead you to a good spot.” With that, he lead them back towards the opening of the lair, stopping just before the trees started. Turning back to them, he smiled. “The soil if very fertile here…Allara’s body has gifted us with the power of quickly growing crops, and Theolyn, I know that Life has gifted you with Her power. She will also assist you greatly. Be sure to keep these fields organized, and plant only the crops that will grow in this season. After the major lessons have gone past, and everyone has settled into a good routine, Aki and I will bring you both out so that you can help us to create a greenhouse spell to allow all crops to grow.

What do you mean by Life, Nero?” Theolyn asked, holding the bags in both hands, his face twisted into a look of confusion.

Ah, right…we have not gone over Magic yet. Life is an Element, young farmer. One of Ten. She is a very happy element, and she only chooses those with the purest of hearts. You will learn more about it tomorrow night. I promise. For now, use these two hours to dig the soil and plant the seeds. When everyone is back from their hunt, we will feed the youngsters and move on to our next lesson.

Could we have hoes and a watering can, perchance?” Theolyn’s face was still full of confusion, but he had shaken his head to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand. Two hours was practically impossible to do what needed to be done, but with Boo’s help, perhaps he could do it.

Right! Here you are, friend!” As magically as the seeds had appeared, so did two hoes, one shortened to accommodate the height of the significantly shorter pochi, who made the already massively tall Theolyn look like a giant. Once they had taken it, Nero gave a bow and poofed to land on the head of the slug, who was moving towards the hunting party.

Theolyn looked at Boo then, smiling sheepishly. “Have you ever farmed before?
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The day passed slowly, with Cora slipping in and out of hazy consciousness, too exhausted to remain alert yet too unsettled to fall asleep. Immediately following his three or four feeding breaks, the albino hatchling would sit just outside his rider's box and allow her to stroke his head for a few minutes; it seemed to help her relax, if only for a moment or two before he himself would grow too sleepy to remain upright. Even after only two days, the pair were already coming to rely on one another for a source of mutual inspiration. To the sailor, thoughts of her past were mediated by the touch of a caring white snout on her fingertips. To the dragon, understanding that his soulmate was here, with him at the start of his life's adventure was nothing short of a blessing that filled his young and simple mind with joy.

When dusk came, the pair were up and ready the face the night before them, although Cassius became significantly less ready once his belly had been filled with meat. The curly-haired woman left him with a smile and another kiss before exiting their chambers for the first group activity, which, suspiciously enough, was to take place outside. Within an hour she had eaten a very small breakfast and soon found herself standing among the other riders near the lake, the cool autumn breeze blowing right through her thin, worn tunic. Shivering profusely, the sailor folded her arms and instead focused on the lake, which was glittering like black satin. As she stared out across with water with longing in her emerald eyes, the woman could not help but wonder if they had been brought here as a subtle test of resolve. The waves were dangerously enticing, calling out to her in a strange but familiar language. Cora did not realize she had been inching toward the dark waters until Akihanna began to speak.

While the idea of getting some fresh air appealed to the sailor, she did not appreciate the task at hand nor the tools they had been given to complete it. Having grown up on the sea, the fisherwoman was not used to hunting larger game, and held the bow dumbly in her well-worked but uncertain hands. "Shit," she muttered, turning the weapon over for a brief and clumsy inspection. Although Cora could manage a bow better than the average sailor, she lacked both accuracy and precision- the only skill in her favor was a firm and unwavering strength. However inept, the woman could not have been as unsuited for hunting as Theolyn, who was quick to ask for an alternative. She nearly dropped her bow when Nero blipped into existence, swearing under her breath at having been startled by the pseudodragon for what felt like the hundreth time in the past two days. The golden dragon offered Theo and another, very tiny rider another task, which the pair eagerly accepted; within moments they had trailed off in another direction to presumably start some sort of garden.

Cora faced the two more experienced riders with a suppressed sigh, and allowed herself to be arranged in whatever formation the instructors felt necessary. She was not expecting to catch anything, and instead prayed to Varon Inhalla that her arrows would avoid the other riders.
 
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Boo is the last of the riders to appear, streaks on her cheeks from tears. What? She had tried arriving to this huge place with trees the size of mountains with her newest bestest friend. But, she had been told to take Whoo back to the cave. She had kissed the tiny head, shivered slightly over the cold before skipping out. Halfway back to that huge clearing, she was skipping and humming the song that never ends.

She watches all of this with utter fascination. She still hums some, but its very quietly done under her breath. There is a slight widening of those strange opal eyes at the fact that they are to to be given…weapons. Usually, if she was to participate in a hunt, it was more to find that which was being hunted, nothing more. She’s to actually kill what’s hunted?! She is uncertain whether to be excited or not. She dances from foot to foot as Aki speaks.

Yet, she is then handed a bow, then a quiver. She is already awkwardly fiddling with an arrow and the bow. Just as Nero shows up, the arrow shoots upwards from the bow in her hands. It makes it about three feet before just losing that bit of momentum. It falls to the ground, sideways, meeting the top of her head halfway down.

She, unfortunately, missed what Nero said due to this…mishap. A shimmer of tears are evident when he pats her on the head. They are very quickly gone, a sweet smile curving her lips over his action and words. Her gaze sweeping out to find this…farmer.

“What’s a farmer?”

This whispered softly, watching the very, very…large human head her way. She hadn’t been aware they came so huge. Is he half giant? Oh, well, that would make him only half human. That a good or bad thing, she wonders. He must be a farmer! Now she understands.

She skips over to him, grabbing his hand to tug him towards Nero. Well, an attempt to tug him such. It’s like trying to move a mountain. Or, is that a farmer? A giggle escapes her…

She barely even notices that she and The Farmer are being ushered away by Nero. Sad. But, that is the Pochi for you.
 
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The cold yet soothing autumn wind brushed Leatrix's face gently, blowing her long blonde hair slowly and gracefully. The dragon riders were gathering in small circle, looking at the seniors speaking at the front. Seeing the weapons that Aki and Mauras took tonight, Leatrix notice that they would go hunting, the purpose itself was remained unclear, either for the rider's training or something else. When Aki told them that they needed to hunt for their dragonlings' food, Leatrix shrugged in disagree. Androga must learn how to feed himself, right? He can't just asking for food from me, he needs to be independent. However, she wasn't in mood to ask too much questions. She knew that the leaders cared so much about the dragon. Leatrix too, cared about Androga, but she wanted to help Androga to grow into a strong dragon who wouldn't depend on anyone else, but his own strength. He would certainly have her to guard his back, but she never knew how long she would able to stay with him. Her goal... might took her life anytime anywhere.

The hunting lesson forced Leatrix to use bow and arrows as her weapons. Undoubtedly not her favorite one, but thanks to her previous training with Khajju, she could handle it easier than before. Well, she did go hunting with her fathers occasionally, but she didn't use the bow. Strange, indeed, but her father trained Leatrix to hunt using her swords. She must lay low and stay hidden until she was close enough with the target, then she must slashed right on its neck to make sure it died quickly and left no pain. Why? Because Leatrix and her father were against the animal killing. However, reality wasn't that gentle, people needed meats and even though she didn't kill the animals, someone else would do it.

After Aki gave the evens and odds, Leatrix got the evens. She walked up front and readied her bow. Though she didn't have enough experience with bow, Leatrix was confident with her capability. Leatrix then remembered her father's words everytime she was feeling down and doubtful, "Being confident is the only strength that a knight can have. No matter how poor and newbie you are, Leatrix my dear, as long as you believe you can do it, you will find a way to make it happens." A faint smile took shape on her face. Father... I promise I won't let you down.

Leatrix then focusing her eyes back to Aki and Mauras, "...Any questions before we go?" Again, Leatrix had no questions, she wanted to start the hunting lesson as soon as possible. She wanted to test how much she had learnt from her previous training. If she managed to get at least one, Leatrix promised that she would give Androga some extra meats.
 
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The autumn air was soft against the warmth of her skin, neither warm nor cool but tepid in its glancing touch. Eolo disliked this weather- such a tranquil scene but underneath, tempestuous currents intertwined the threads of Fate. If Life were a tapestry, their lives would be those drab threads- those inconsequential parts that mattered little except as part of the whole. Eolo had always thought so, always believed that humanity truly had no light of it's own and that their Fates were twined with the sharp thorns of a dark Fate. And dragons- they were the burnished copper and cold wire threads, woven like rivers of molten ore into the tapestry of life and reminiscent of the moons against the blackness of night. So, if a Fate like hers was intertwined with a dragon... Was her Fate truly as dark as her life so far had predicted?

She shook herself back to the moment, watching as the two visible moons traveled across the lower sky and the wind rustled the leaves that had fallen from the trees in the valley, the onset of autumn and the promise of snow on the horizon sending the foliage scattering like sheep before wolves. The sight of the crude bows slung over the shoulders of their instructors sent a frisson down her spine, a grin just poking at the edge of her lips. She didn't mind hunting, not quite the kill but the thrill did catch her every time. She almost purred at the feeling of the hastily made but functional weapon in her hands, already calculating the ways she could make it oh so much better. Add a little more recurve to the tips, a tighter weave of the sinew drawstring, maybe a smaller bow window and... She could make a really weapon out of this baby.

Eolo listened carefully as the rest tested their weapons, though a small fraction of her attention was focused upon assessing the arrows and the accuracy of their fletching. Each was strong, as straight as if she'd done it herself and the fletching, though not without errors, would do well in their hands. Though... Maybe at some point.... She'd have access to a forge and to feel iron beneath her hands would be like breathing freely again. As Aki directed them into formation, she found herself next to one of her companions and it was strange, because she had yet to actually communicate with any of the others yet. It shouldn't have irritated her- she'd spent years, after all, avoiding forming friendships- but it truly did, this absence of camaraderie between them all.

Eolo steeled herself and stretched a hand to her companion, whom she believe Aki had referred to as Khajju. "I am Eolo Gatti. It's a pleasure to finally greet of one my companions."