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 Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 2:39 pm
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 Ashur Morril
Had she told him of the 'Dragon Rider' bit of this deal, he wouldn't have believed it. Ashur had heard the legends, what kid hadn't while growing up? He dismissed them as nothing more than that, simply legends. Even as he watched her claw carve out ridges in the skin on his hand, he believed this act to be a temporary truce between them; nothing more, nothing less. It did hurt, but the slayer didn't try to impede her progress and diligently held his hand as steady as he could. Now that he understood her words on him losing his hand if he had waited too long Ashur just wanted to get this over and done with. Ignoring his own blood dribbling out from his cuts, his confidence wavered when she brushed her tongue over his mutilated skin.
A part of him had to wonder if she was just teasing him with this act. It would seem like something she'd do, in reference to him being almost eaten alive on accident. Again he had to stop himself from pulling his hand away. With the rolling of her tongue he could recognize a vaguely familiar sensation. The sensation he had felt after accepting her drink earlier, except this time the slight warmth was radiating from his hand now and spreading to the rest of his body. He couldn't suppress the shudder jolting up his spine at the unnatural experience. When she was done with his hand he stared down at the blackening lines with mild apprehension.
“The Shield, huh? How admirable..” Being physically linked to her he was fine with, but emotionally? He wasn't sure if he liked that. Not being threatened by any other dragons seemed like a pretty good boon, though. This parlay would have to extend both ways of course. The human nodded as he was told where she would be waiting for him. Having a new outlook on things thanks to his precarious bond, Ashur knew he needed to settle a few issues immediately. As the woman walked off to wait at their appointed meeting spot the slayer poked around the village to prepare for the journey ahead.
“On your word, Cassius, you will do this for me!” Keeping his grip firm on the front of the other male's leather coat, Ashur kept his fellow slayer backed up against the outer wall of a small house. “On your word!”
“O-okay! But what's this change all of a sudden?!” begged the youth. Barely old enough to shave, Cassius was still learning the ropes to being a slayer. He was still only beginning to understand the workings of their trade, and what Ashur was asking him to do seem ludicrous at best. Cassius had been charged with returning to their guild's headquarters and demand the immediate suspension of all dragon hunts. It would have been a futile cause had Ashur not pulled his seniority over any claims to deny his request. Their informal hierarchy was based on experience, not age. Though as far as Cassius was aware, no dragon slayer had ever retired due to old age... “And where are you going?”
“..in time, it will all become clear,” Ashur said in a calmer tone. He couldn't be sure if he was trying to reassure Cassius as much as he was trying to do away with his own doubts. He released the boy and gave him a pat atop the mop of black hair. “Tell the others to maintain defensive positions in the major towns, but only go on the offensive if there's no other choice. If they argue, tell them to do something useful with their time, and get rid of more wyverns. For now, I must be on my way.” He said his farewell to the boy and took his leave. A duffel bag hung off one of his shoulders, packing a few practical supplies an adventuring human might need, as well as some food, a few days worth if he rationed it out right. Wading through the crowd of onlookers who wanted to see their village's savior off, Ashur also wondered if he was doing the right thing.
What he had told Cassius had been for the benefit of dragon kind, but it was an act done out of fear for his own life as well. He would have to look out for his new companion, and the other way around if they had any hope of getting through this debacle alive. After finally making it to the golden dragon he looked up at her with an arched brow. “Since you're all individuals, I'm assuming you have a name? If you haven't heard already from our past encounters, I'm Ashur Morril. Here's hoping that we don't kill each other on day one...”
OOC:
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:41 pm
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 Varianna
Varianna wondered what was taking him so long. How long did it take for humans to say goodbye to people they didn't even know? But then again, there were other slayers with him, maybe he was talking to them. He better not be planning something devious behind her back. She couldn't trust humans to keep their word, but she had hoped that by giving him her mark that would fix a few things. She remembered his comment about her mark, saying that it was admirable. The Shield represented her type, she was someone who would protect others with her very body. She had already done it for a few dragons already.
And now that she had a human with her, she would have to be his shield too. She wondered what would happen once the other slayers got wind of one of their own going off with a dragon. Hell, she wondered what the other dragons would think if they knew she had marked a human and a slayer no less. She had a feeling if she wasn't in the position she was, they would definitely have her head for this one. Then she wondered for a moment, what would her Father think? After all, not even he attempted do mark a human. Only one person had done it in the past few hundred years that she knew of. Her Father's brother. The dragon who had a human for a wife. He marked her in order to keep them together forever.
Pausing in her thoughts, she could feel the slayer approach her. Her eyes looked down at him as he came to her. Then he asked her if she had a name, a respectful gesture. "Varianna En Kragen. And yes, I remember your name. So, now that we have been introduced properly without going to each other's throats," she lowered herself so that she was laying on her stomach, and then she turned her head towards him, "Climb on. And do not try anything either..." she looked ahead as she waited for him. With her mark now, he would have no problem holding onto her while they were in the air.
As she waited for him to get on, she did tell him, "We are going to be making a quick stop. I do not know why you humans eat wyverns, but dragons do not. Disgusting creatures...so I am grabbing a cow on the way back. And if you ask nicely, I will share some of the meat with you..."
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Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 3:26 pm
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Ashur Morril
Varianna En Kragen... Ashur muttered the name under his breath to practice pronouncing it. He had half expected at least part of her name to be something unspeakable in his own tongue, but this wasn't too bad. Realizing this assumption had been born out of his own ignorance the man quickly swept the idea from his mind. As an afterthought he also made an effort to suppress the smirk at the dragon's grim joke; he failed dismally. In truth, waving his sword in her direction seemed as almost casual an action as waving a hand to an oncoming friend. He had to wonder how different things would be from here on out. So far they had been in contact with each other for almost a full day, and neither had made any aggressive moves against the other. A scenario that Ashur would have laughed at if someone suggested the notion to him just a scant few days ago.
Another surprise manifested itself in the form of Varianna lowering her form to accommodate his ease of boarding. Vaguely he had always known that he would have to hitch a ride sooner or later, and he was silently thankful that she didn't decide to just pick him up in one of her clawed hands. “Tch; a dragon should hardly be the jittery one in this case!” he grumbled as he looked for the best way to mount her. He had some anxieties about soaring through the skies without some kind of harness, and rightfully so; it was suicidal at best! She spoke again as the tentative man took his time, finally beginning his ascent up to her back. He was too preoccupied to fully argue with her, but released an indignant huff none the less.
“Meat is meat. Spices enhance the taste, but that's what you dragons get for eating things raw!” He bit his tongue to stop the next quip from coming out, a comment about her treating him like a pet. Manners were manners, even when dining with a dragon, he supposed. Pets were simply told when to eat, and that was hardly the case here. Emerald eyes searched for a good perch atop her back. The task took no more than a casual glance, and he settled down at the base of her neck, hugging his duffel bag to his chest in one arm. The action of finding a seat felt too natural to him, and he was left wondering again what other unspoken benefits came with this deal of theirs. “Let's get out of here then, before we both start doubting our agreement!”
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Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 7:09 pm
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Varianna
Varianna could tell that the bond was already settling in, she could already feel his surprise at her very name. What did he think, her name was part roar? She could tell that this would be interesting, he didn't know a single thing about dragons. He certainly would be learning a lot with this time with her. She couldn't wait until he met one of her other dragon friends. Brand came to mind, oh he would definitely give this human an earful. Brand was the right hand to her Father, he had managed to escape with some of the women and children as per her Father's orders. He had tried to help her escape, but she had to do it herself. She had been too far from him and to follow him would have gotten her killed. She was glad to know he was okay, the second he had gotten a chance, he had searched for her to see if she was still alive.
She waited for him to get on her back. She could sense some of his nervousness at getting on her back, he would find out soon enough that the power of her mark would set in and riding a dragon would become second nature to him. Besides, she wouldn't let him fall, that easily anyway. Her scales would have been enough for him to grab on in case he did slip. It wasn't like she was covered in slime or her skin was that slippery. As she heard him speak about meat, she scoffed at him, "You humans waste all the flavor by cooking it. Dragons can experience the full potential of meat. As meat goes down our throat, it cooks on its way down. Already cooked food turns to ash inside of us. It is better fresh, but you humans are built differently than we are so you cannot enjoy what we do...a shame really."
Once he found his spot on her back, she could feel how natural the feeling was to her as well. Humans and dragons probably felt this based on instinct, because in the past, it was so natural for dragons and humans to ride together. It made her wonder what caused the whole thing to fall apart in the first place. Something had to have happened to cause it. She then heard him as he told her to get out of there before he began doubting his decision, "Alright, but remember..." she looked back at him with a little smirk, "You asked for it," expanding her large wings, she flapped them and began lifting off of the ground and took to the air. "Hold on!" as she wind blew past her face as she rose into the air, a smile came to her face. She liked feeling the wind across her body, it was an amazing feeling to a dragon. Made her feel like a master of the skies.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 2:15 am
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 4:53 pm
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Varianna
Flapping her wings, cutting through the air gave her a feeling of power. She only wished that she could fly as freely as her people used too long ago. At that time, they didn't have anything to fear but the rare occasion that a bird flew into their face. Maybe that day would come again soon, well minus the bird. She hoped that her new partnership with this slayer would turn out for the best. She still couldn't wait to see the look on Brand's face. She knew that he wouldn't kill the human, but it would be entertaining to hear the banter go between the two of them.
She heard the human as he called out to her to only take one cow, she chuckled lightly before she offered to him the next of the abilities that they would share. You do not have to shout, but to save both your voice and my ears, how about we do it this way? She chuckled lightly to herself again as she knew that she had spooked the human. It was another trait shared between Dragon and its Rider. It wasn't mind reading, but rather, speaking through their minds. It was a sort of bonding between the two, and if they were ever taken captive, to exchange thoughts gave them an advantage. The winds are strong today, but they carry no scent of the wyverns. We should remain safe, at least until morning light...
Then she spotted her prey, and they did look good. Letting off a roar, she descended to the cattle and in one fell swoop, she grabbed onto her cow. Sure, it squirmed as she gripped it, but it quickly gave up once her talons pierced it. Giving another roar, she lifted back up into the sky. She glanced back up at her guest to make sure he was alright Still alive back there? If you are, we're returning to my cave now. flapping her wings away, she began making her way towards her home in the cliffs.
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:29 pm
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Ashur Morril
Ashur didn't say anything at first. It had taken several long seconds for the slayer to decide that he hadn't imagined Varianna's voice. How she managed to talk to him without actually talking was unknown to him, and with no explanation coming any time soon the slayer remained dubious over the wisdom of his rash decision back in the village. Unsure of the true nature and depth of this new ability revealed to him the human remained silent for a short while. He had heard of magic that could allow someone to enter the mind of another. But could she hear all of his thoughts? If so, the dragon gave no indication of it.
..you are full of surprises, dragon, he 'said' tentatively at last, directing the thought as he stared at the back of Varianna's head. The dragon was too preoccupied to respond it seemed; she roared before suddenly adjusting her trajectory to an angle and speed that made Ashur's bowels clench in fright as he held on for his life. He didn't cry out loud, but he hoped that Varianna wouldn't hear the colorful exclamation of terror in his own mind as she carried both of them lower and lower. The heavy impact and crumpling of bones he expected never became a reality, thankfully. Seconds passed by before he realized they were rising again, this time with a second passenger.
Clinging tighter than necessary onto the dragon's scales the slayer returned the dragon's backward glance with an incredulous stare of his own. Just peachy back here! The sooner I set foot on solid ground, the better! He didn't bother asking about her catch. The farm animal had stopped making noises shortly after it was picked up, and he had seen enough himself to know how easily a dragon's claw could pierce flesh. The unpleasant thought was interrupted by a yawn forcing itself out, reminding him that he had yet to sleep. The day's events had kept him awake through the night, and fatigue was slowly taking its toll even if he was healed up. Good thing he still clung onto his duffel bag. The prospect of using a rock for a pillow was disappointing.
OOC:
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:44 pm
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Varianna
Varianna could feel the confusion from the slayer as she had spoke to him in his mind. She was sure that he had many questions for her about it. Hearing his comment that she was full of surprises. And this is only the beginning slayer. You have much to learn about dragons. There is much about us that you do not know. Think of it this way, even if you still choose to slay us after this deal is over...you'll learn that you will be a murderer to an innocent clan. She continued to fly through the skies, her home coming soon into sight.
After she had taken a dive for her meal, she had heard all of the colorful language he had used in his head. She chuckled a bit, but decided not to heckle him about it. She wouldn't have actually crashed, she hadn't done that since she was merely a hatchling, to crash now would be embarrassing. She then laughed out loud when he had claimed that the sooner he was on the ground, the better, Very well...we will be arriving momentarily...Granted that there will be a limited amount of ground, but ground none the less... Then, it came into sight.
Her cave high up in the cliffs, it was hidden away by many other cliffs, a very secluded area. We are not alone here either. A few other dragons live here. However, you bear my mark, they will not harm you...Now, welcome to my home, She flew up into one of the highest caves and landed on the edge. She gave a soft sigh, and then lowered herself to leave him room to get off of her back. She tossed her cow off to the side for later and she looked back at him, "Mind my small bone mess. Worry not, it is only chicken and cow, no humans. Though, as you will learn, I wouldn't be the person I am if I ate humans..." Her ruby eyes glanced at him for a moment before they softened some, "You seem tired..." she used her tail to swipe away some of the bones to reveal a bail of soft hay, "Here, sleep here for the night."
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:48 pm
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Ashur Morril
The dragon's words echoed in his mind long after she had said them to him. A murderer of the innocent? Such a title would not, and did not sit well with the man. If anything, he tried to be as fair as possible about his decision making. His teachings as a slayer had ingrained into him the belief that dragons were to be grouped with the rest of the animals in the world. Their capacity for thought was perceived as malicious cunning more than logical reasoning, though Ashur wasn't too sure on that precept anymore. Varianna could very well be pulling a wool over his eyes right now, but only time would tell.
As they approached the area where her home was the human was careful to look for landmarks on the ground. The slayers had always suspected that this mountain range in particular housed many unpleasant creatures, but storming into a dragon's cave -if they could even get there undetected- was suicidal at best. Assuming the caves only sported a single entry point, any dragon lurking in the stone caverns only had one direction to blast its fire in. That took away the advantage of numbers for the humans, and having an almost sheer drop at one's back made fighting anything foolhardy at best. If the situation were reversed? The slayers would have no where to take cover if a dragon returned to its roost after their intrusion. For these reasons, the slayers allowed the dragons a moderate level of peace within their own lands.
A few, you say? I would not be surprised to find a dozen of your kind living amongst the cliffs... After she landed he was quick to disembark from his perch, glad to have solid ground beneath his boots. Any thoughts of exploring the confines of his new home were cut short at the sight of many bones scattered haphazardly across the stone floor. He couldn't tell what the bones came from without a closer inspection, but a part of him didn't want to know. Varianna's explanation for the scene left him with more questions than answers. Lime colored optics stared up at the scarlet pair looking down at him, catching the subtle shift from stern to indifferent dispositions.
“I wish to know,” he said pointedly, ignoring the make shift bed she had offered him for now, “..what does a dragon become if one should eat a human?” The man would gladly collapse on the pile of hay. But, like a child defiant of his bedtime, he cocked his head to the side, and folded his arms across his chest. In truth he had an inkling about what a dragon would become should they undergo this 'change', having put down a few fire breathing manifestations of rage himself. But what better way to learn the truth than from a dragon that wasn't intent on eating him?
OOC:
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:21 am
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Varianna
When she had told him about how after if he still continued to pursue killing dragons, he would be marked as a murderer of the innocent, she was glad that he was feeling unsettled by the thought. She knew that slayers were taught how to hate dragons so it would make things easier to kill them. That they were no more than big, dangerous animals. She hoped that the slayer took away some knowledge from his time with her, if anything so he could relay it back to his fellow slayers. To get them to stop hunting her people would be a great day.
She noticed how he had looked at the cliffs when she had flown up. It had been her safe haven during the first few battles. It gave her and the dragons a land advantage, humans couldn't navigate through them and to try to would be their end. There was one way in and one way out for a human. Brand was the one that guarded the only entrance, he insisted since he didn't want to run the risk of her getting in danger. As she heard him tell her that he wouldn't be surprised that there were a dozen of dragons in the cliffs, she chuckled before replying Full grown dragons, no, there are only 4 of us here. However, two of our full grown dragons are caring for the hatchlings. They will be learning to fly soon enough. Those hatchlings are the first to come into this world since the attack on the dragons...
After she had set him down, he had asked her about what would a dragon become if they ate a human. Varianna sighed a bit thinking back to the dragons that it had already happened to, "They become monsters, former shells of themselves. When dragons made the treaty, they vowed to never kill a human. A dragon's vow binds their very soul. When the attack happened, many dragons tried to defend our home and humans were killed in the process. Those dragons lost their minds and became killers without care. All they were doing was trying to protect their families and their home. Some of them were willing to become monsters if it meant that their families would survive..." she closed her eyes and sighed again before she looked out the opening of the cave and up to the sky.
"But there is a price to becoming a monster, much more grave. In an hour, the stars will become clear and you will see the final resting place of the dragons. Dragons, who have died and have been honorable, will join the many other dragons as a star to the constellation Draco. Dragons who die, that have broken their vows, just disappear, their soul destroyed and will never again appear in the world. For a dragon...our vows are our life..." she looked back at Ashur for a moment. She wondered if he could feel her pain from the loss of her people. It was a deep pain that gripped her heart whenever she thought about it. It was quickly covered by anger though, "Humans never suffered like that. Humans never paid any price for what happened that night...Do you see now why the hatred runs deep with my people? Humans broke the treaty and never received any consequences, all the dragons did was defend themselves, and we were punished severely...Out of all the dragons that died that night, only one became a star. My Father...he fell with his kingdom. He never raised a claw to the humans...and he was struck down by one he thought to be his friend..."
Taking a breath to calm down, she looked at the slayer again, "Do things make sense to you slayer? Dragons are much more than you ever knew. You slew us without even knowing what we were..." she lowered her head to the ground to rest her head. There were times, where she was tired of the hate and the anger. "Now, get some sleep slayer. Tomorrow, you meet some other dragons," she cracked on eye at him, "Oh and stay to the right of the cave while I sleep. Anything that lives on the left will not be by morning. Thought you should know..."
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 3:47 pm
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Ashur Morril
Again, there was mention of this 'treaty'. The vague manner in which she spoke of its details irked the human, but he remained silent throughout her talk. Her crimson eyes were unfocused; staring off past the physical boundaries of reality, and peering into the depths of her memories. In the very least she confirmed his suspicions regarding openly hostile dragons. Killers without care, she had called them. It was these dragons in particular that allowed animosity to so easily take root in human hearts, and it was these dragons that he was taught to hate, Ashur realized grimly. As Varianna turned to look upon the night sky, the human followed her gaze up towards the heavens.
What she had to say next made him pause to think over the possibility of her pulling his leg on all of this. Ashur personally did not believe in things such as the after life, and his limited knowledge of how the world around him really worked led him to believe this was all dragon superstition. Even if it was, he found himself envious of such a noble closure to one's life. His train of thought derailed itself when their eyes met. The grief emanating from Varianna's consciousness stung him, and forced the human to look away. He had never been betrayed before, so he could not sympathize with that feeling too well. The loss of family, friends, and comrades plucked at more than a few heartstrings, though.
He forced himself to return eye contact as he felt a strong sense of indignation welling up from the golden dragon. While she might not have been targeting him directly with her accusations Ashur still flinched slightly under her verbal assault. Varianna was right as far as he could tell; her race had drawn the short stick in this supposed treaty of theirs. As for her father, the once revered Dragon Lord, the slayer tried to push out the uncomfortable stories that came to mind at his mentioning. A lot of people had been injured from that fight, but there had been no casualties. The incident had become a rallying point for morale amongst people in his profession as it served as 'indisputable' proof that humans didn't need the protection of dragons. No sense in bringing that up now, of course... For a moment he wondered if her father had been killed by someone who had been bonded to him. Not liking such a vile thought, he quickly chose to forget about it.
What was there to say after such a revelation? Ashur opened his mouth to speak, but shut his jaws shortly after. He simply frowned when asked if he understood. Cowed into a solemn silence the man then nodded at the suggestion to get some rest. After hearing Varianna's side of the story he suddenly felt very weary, and the sword on his belt hung heavier than he remembered. Sleep would do well to clear his thoughts, or so he believed. He wasn't too thrilled about meeting other dragons, but being the guest in this community there was no way getting around it. Settling onto the pile of hay, he finally found his voice after receiving her peculiar warning over what side to sleep on. “..if you're going to roll over, or snore fire in my direction, I will haunt your cave with a vengeance at such a daft death.” His tone marked his threat as an empty one, but the normality of trading taunts, even if it was one sided at the moment, helped put some of his mind at ease. Saying nothing more Ashur allowed himself to drift off to sleep.
OOC:
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:39 am
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Varianna
Varianna had felt the changes in his feelings as she had spoken to him about the truth about the dragons that he slayed. From what she knew about him already, she knew that he had killed dragons before. But, she had never heard word that he had killed an innocent dragon, at least not yet. She was actually kind of grateful to him for that, putting those who have lost themselves out of their misery. She did know of the slayers who had killed innocent dragons, some of those dragons had been her close friends. Some she had even hatched with.
Then there was her Father, he had been claimed to be the best Dragon Lord to come of age. He was stern, but fair. He had even made the treaty with the humans, something no other Dragon Lord had done before him. She wondered how she would be viewed for her actions, as the coward who ran away from the battle? That was what she often thought, that she had ran away instead of helping her Father in the battle. Even now she still felt that she was running. Brand often came to her asking her if she was going to take her rightful place, but she always told him that it wasn't the right time yet. To be honest, she didn't know if the right time would ever come. She knew that he would ask again tomorrow, but she was growing more unsure of her answer. She couldn't be as great a leader as her Father was, it was impossible.
As she heard the slayer's voice, she turned to him as he told her not to snore out fire in his direction, she only smirked at him before replying, "Then perhaps I should have told you to sleep on the left then," she watched as he drifted off to sleep. She still wondered why she had accepted such an offer, to allow a slayer to live with her so he could learn a dragon's capability for good. He would soon learn it, but she wasn't completely sure of her trust in the human. She still couldn't believe that she had given him her mark. She wondered what he would do if he discovered the full truth behind the mark, would he take full advantage of it? She honestly didn't know. She could feel how weary he was from her whole story. She hoped it would help change his mind about her kind and maybe make the others as well.
Feeling the chill of the night settle in, Varianna used her tail and pulled some pieces of wood from the side of the cave and formed them in a small fire pit. Taking a small breath and letting it out, she created a small fire to keep the cave warm. The cold didn't affect her too badly, but with her guest being a human, she didn't want him to freeze. She looked out of the cave for a moment, up at the sky and at the constellation she had spoken about before. The Right Eye of Draco was her Father's star. She had known it was him when she had looked up and noticed that the eye had appeared. When she had seen it, she swore that once she got the kingdom back and she passed, she would join him as the left eye. Sighing softly, she curled into a ball on the cave floor, turned away from her human companion and she found sleep herself.
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 1:21 pm
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Ashur Morril
Sleep did little to ward off the turmoil in his mind. In fact it did just the opposite, pulling him into a dream recounting his first meeting with a dragon. Coincidentally, or perhaps fate just held a sense of humor, said dragon happened to be Varianna. Ashur had been young and reckless back then; he charged her without a second thought. To slayers, the best thing you could hope for realistically in life was a proud and honorable death, something worthy of a bard's tale, even. It helped people to cope and accept the seemingly impossible odds of trying to kill a fire breathing giant. However, the only thing to come about from his encounter then had been a healthy dose of humility after he had his legs swept out from under him thanks to the golden dragon's long tail. The snapping of teeth never came, and Ashur was surprised to see the scaled creature flee as he regained his footing. The other slayers had caught up then, and misinterpreted the situation, thinking he had single handedly scared off the dragon.
It was an incident that would haunt him over and over during the following scuffles with the being he came to know as Varianna. Ever since then he had worked hard to try and bring her down, and every time he failed. It was a dismal thought to have stagnating in his mind as he stirred from his sleep. The pile of hay had been a poor choice of bedding, but as his fingertips brushed against bare stone the slayer reconsidered his negativity. He spent several seconds slouched in a seated position as he performed an unconscious routine to help him wake up. The rubbing of his eyes. The rapid blinking of his eyes. And the slow descent of his eyelids as he pondered over the chance of getting more sleep. The cave was still dark, but not as dark as he remembered it last night. A sluggish turn of his head helped direct his groggy vision towards the mouth of the cave. The horizon held a glow that foretold dawn was close at hand.
Again he turned his head, this time with a soft yawn. The source of the dim lighting within the cave was soon discovered to be a smoldering pile of ash. Embers still hissed softly in defiance of its diminishing lifespan. One of the human's hands rose to scratch at his brunette bedhead hairdo and pluck out several straws of hay entangled in the mess. Even in his morning stupor he knew well enough that a dragon didn't need such an arbitrary source of heat to keep warm at night. Ashur stood up and stretched his arms and legs while studying Variann's still prone form. He had to admit; a part of him didn't expect to survive the night. This revelation was unexpected, but welcomed.
Varianna appeared to be sleeping. He had never had the chance to catch a dozing dragon before now, but she exuded all the traits he'd expect from an unconscious creature. Squatting several yards away from her head, and to the side in case she really did snore fire, Ashur caught himself admiring her powerful form. His mindset becoming more alert as he remained awake the human distinctly remembered the warning he was given the night before: don't linger on the dragon's left side if he wished to continue living. From his current position he couldn't see the entirety of this so called 'dead zone', but sensed no immediate danger. Tentatively, with the palm of his hand resting easily on the pommel of his sheathed sword, he began to quietly move around the dragon as curiosity overtook him.
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 3:01 pm
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Varianna
It took her some time before she was able to fall asleep. Varianna soon fell into her own deep sleep, a similar one that the slayer was experiencing. She was delving into her memories of when she had encountered the boy when they had first met. She hadn't wanted to fight, but she wasn't about to lay back and let herself be killed either. She had been young as well, and hadn't been trained to handle such situations. Hell, she couldn't even breathe fire back then. Her clan had still been scattered around the country, still in hiding. It wasn't long after their meeting did she meet Brand again. Her dream had continued on as she remembered how Brand had trained her to become a strong dragon, one that could rise up to be as strong as her Father someday.
It wouldn't be her last meeting with the slayer. They had clashed again and again, no one really coming out as the victor. It was always a tie between the two since they both remained alive. As they got older, their encounters got more and more violent. More malicious. Their wounds got more serious too. The worse she remembered was a slash she had received along her side. It had taken her many days to heal, even now the skin was still a little tender. It was a non-fatal wound to begin with, if she had died from it, it would have been from loss of blood. Brand certainly hovered over her throughout the entire time she was healing. She threw him out of her cave on occasion. Oh, she was patient, but had a short fuse when people were poking at her.
She twitched a bit from her sleep, her ears picking up the sound of movement. She wasn't ready to get up yet either, if the sun wasn't up yet, she wasn't getting up either. But as it turned out, that wouldn't be the case this morning since she felt someone's eyes staring at her. Did all humans wake up this early in the morning? She would have continued to doze, but the feeling of eyes on her made her irritable. "You know it is rude to stare," she opened one ruby eye to him as she said that. Her tone was groggy, she was still sleepy.
She gave a loud yawn and stretched a bit. The cave was more than big enough for her to move in. She turned her head to look outside of the cave and the sun had barely broken above the cliffs. Getting up, she looked at the slayer with a tired glare, "New rule. If the sun is not up, do not wake me..." she then began to walk further into the cave, "Follow me if you want to clean up. There is a spring in the center of the cliff we dragons use. There won't be any this morning, since most are up when the sun enters their cave. You'll have your privacy. And don't argue. You are starting to stink up my cave from the wyvern blood."
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 10:10 pm
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Ashur Morril
He hadn't expected her to awaken so easily. He had even done his best to be quiet about his movements, but his actions seemed futile as he met the irked gaze of the dragon. The slayer's lips were quick to purse together in a tight line at the imposing of a new rule as well. “The sun is already up beyond the peaks and borders of the mountains!” hissed the man in protest and in self defense; but not too loudly, hoping to preserve some semblance of the morning's tranquility. Human farmers would already be sweating by now as they tended to their animals and fields. As for himself, Ashur made it a point to never sleep too deeply when in an unfamiliar area, hence his early awakening as well.
Still, Varianna's request wasn't unreasonable. Every community had its own customs, traditions, and rules. Not to mention he was a guest here. A very small, flammable, and squishy guest... Again he felt his lips move unconsciously, this time into a frown as he was given the option to clean up, but told not to argue. The slayer's much shorter legs worked hard to match the golden giant's loping strides, and he sound found a somewhat comfortable pace to keep in step with her. Perhaps there was a bit of credence to her suggestion order to bathe, however; if any of the other dragons thought a wyvern had infiltrated their homes, things would end very badly for him.
"Embarrassment is but a distant priority at the moment," he said flatly, "I wouldn't expect a dragon to dwell on the anatomy of a human being anyways. Such a thing would be very unbecoming, and disturbing." With Varianna in a grumpy mood Ashur wasn't sure how far he could test her patience. Even if she were to flick him with one of her claws, the action would probably send him to the ground. For better or worse though, he was awake and only becoming more alert. "What do you have in mind for the day's agenda? In due time I will learn about your kind, afterward I think the favor should be returned.."
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