[$] The Dragon (Knux33 <3)

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

A confused look tinged with worry crossed Deol's face as Aerion asserted the beast was, in fact, not just a beast. If anything, Deol was not much of an idiot, or at least most of his peers tended to say he was too smart for his own good. But knowledge of dragons, for most men, was not as clear as that of the elves. Men lived short lives, after all. And knowledge amongst them was preserved on marital that faded and decays ten times faster than the elves works. All most men knew of dragons was little more than old legends that most had stopped believing in generations ago. "It-- ... he knows ..." Deol muttered softly, then swallowed thickly. Well, that wasn't good. Animals could be smart in clever ways, but man could still outsmart them because men knew how to use instinct against such baser creatures. But going up against something that could well and properly think like men... that was a different animal all together.

"Oh, right, and eating is so much better than burning?" Deol couldn't help but bark out with a sarcastic laugh, running a hand down his face and thinking hard. Damn, damn, and thrice that dragon be damned. And the elf too, for that matter. As far as Deol could see, Aerion was living in the lap of luxury after having made some sort of deal to the fire-breathing devil, and was as caring about human life as any other elf: that was to say not much. But as far as the man could tell, it was clear he didn't have that many options, whether or not this odd golden-haired elf was speaking the truth. "... Well if I don't make it and my wife comes lookin', tell her to get the hell away and Deor Rutabaga Deapoul is long dead; think ya can manage that?"

He didn't linger for an answer though; hurrying out into the night and clinging to shadows as he prayed he could manage to find a way out of the city alive. For a few dreadful sweaty hours Deol's life was one of freezing when wingbeats grew closer and scurrying as fast as he could to the overgrown woodland when the dragon was away. Just as he found himself sprinting for the woods and sanctuary of the trees ... when Balrak swooped low and caged Deol in his talons, rumbling a chuckle. The game had been fun for a while ... but now the mouse was caught. Now ... what to do with the little thief, the dragon pondered.

The man was laid flat out, staring up at the massive clawed foot above him, one edge of his cloak pinned by a claw that had to be as wide as a small tree trunk. "I d-didn't take anything; oh beautiful firebreather!" Deol said in a last-ditch attempt to safe his life; he'd heard stories that dragons loved to be flattered but had always thought that was bullcrap. Since, you know, he hadn't thought dragons were either real or sentient until this very afternoon. "Y-your kingdom is very lovely!"

Balrak just hissed a peel of laughter, highly amused at the human's squeaking. No where near as nice as Aerion's voice, and quite the worst liar. "You burn my woods, sneak around my kingdom ..." Balrak inhaled the man's scent, pupils narrowing. "... seek out my treasures, to steal--"

"I swear, I swear I haven't taken anything!" What was a gfown man when compared to such a dragon? A bug, Deol could easily see, nothing but a little, annoying termite. "I, I even found you a few gifts, oh magnificence! I g-gave them to your vassal to hold, you see! I--"

"Silence!" Balrak snarled, voice echoing throughout the old kingdom. His amusement was gone. Such a pathetic little liar, wasn't it? "I have burned your kin, denied whatever little scribbles your leaders try to piss out with ink on oak-flesh. What little flea like you could possibly wish to leave to me, when your species greed mirrors my own? Mankind does not give, worm. You know of taking, and to be taken from. That is how your kind and I see eye to eye ..." Balrak huffed, breath hot with smoke, but not smelling any gold or treasure on the human ... just a faint scent of Aerion. He would have to speak with that elf. But first ...

Balrak slowly lifted his claws, more disgusted at the pitiful thing he'd caught than enraged. "Flee, or your bones will be my kindling," Balrak promised darkly, before taking off into the skies. Deol was quick to do just that, thanking the stars he'd managed to live--

He wouldn't be thinking them for much longer. Balrak did not fly to roost deep in his kingdom ... no, the dragon was already bored and tired with stupid humans burning up his woods. Time to give men a lesson that would not soon forget. The dragon flew in the direction he'd seen the men flee earlier that night ... and for a long while he flew, outdistancing horses until he came to a very clear and half-lighted town in the dead of night ... and set it to burn. By the time Deol got back, there would be nearly nothing to return home to: just piles of smoldering ruins and whoever survived the night.

It was dawn by the time the dragon landed neatly back in his kingdom, sauntering towards Aerion's garden, and saying the elf's name. The dragon was not that mad, considering he'd just rid himself of what he thought to be the 'rat's nest' of his fire-starter problem. "Elf, are you still ill, or have you properly fixed yourself yet?" The dragon demanded to know, eying Aerion's doorway. "I want you to tell me what transpired between you and that human. And what you elves do in your spare time; besides repairing books and tending gardens." One important question, and one question Balrak had been wondering about.  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

Aerion watched the other leave without any sympathy, because he had a feeling that he wouldn’t die, but at the mention of the mans wife he had a sinking feeling. The blond nodded, fully intending to give the woman that message if she did come around, before watching him leave. He went back to what he was doing after that, deciding to read and repair the old books to distract his mind, he was sure that Balrak would take care of the intruder in some way. He was right, that was for sure, but what he didn't realize was that the dragon also intended on taking care of the "rat" problem as well. If Aerion had been aware of that he would have tried to persuade Balrak not to burn the village. He didn't like humans all that much but as he said before he did not want to watch them all burn.

Aerion was laying on his bed reading when he heard the dragon call for him, the beasts voice booming out along the halls, he had been gone for a good while which had left Aerion enough time to fix a few books and dry off. The blond closed the book and left his rooms through the garden as always, not surprised to see the dragon standing there and looming, he looked up at Balrak as questions were asked without much warning and then he looked around the garden before taking a seat. "I cannot fix what I do not know is broken. I am not aware of what is wrong with me Balrak, my head seems to be bringing forth memories I do not remember and it's… disconcerting. Elves have the best memories, better than dragons, we remember all our lives and the people we meet even though we act as if we do not." Aerion sighed a little and looked down at his feet.

"I do not remember my life before just after hitting puberty, it is all blank to me, that quite a few years not to have in my head but I was always told it was normal. I do not know what it is that's wrong with me." Aerion kicked his legs out a bit then pulled his hair over his shoulder and started braiding it with a bored look. "and that fool came into my rooms while I was bathing. He was quick to leave though, thankfully, I think my nudity scared him away. Humans are so odd about such things you know? They will gaze at a naked woman for days but forbid a man to look at another in such a way. I don't understand it at all… I assume it's because their lives are so short, they require a lot of breeding to keep their species going, they also are not elves so there is that…" Aerion hummed a little in thought but then shrugged.

There was no need to think about the humans sexual behaviors. The blond thought on the last question though because it was an odd one, very odd, and he didn't quite know how to answer it. "We do a lot of things, we practice archery and sing, we dance and spend time with others. When we are not doing business we tend gardens and books or even drink, enjoy the company of others and create songs, we learn to fight and we explore. Most of us try to find love in our spare time, something that will keep us going, we have many years to do nothing and to spend time laying about but we would like to spend that time with someone else." Aerion stared down at the grass as he thought about that.

"I never really thought about finding something like that so I guess I never did that in my spare time. I am not one for romance, it's pointless to me, most people are to… I do not know I don't find them appealing." At all, ever, no one was appealing to him in such a way and he had no idea why. The first time he had ever thought someone might be handsome was when he saw Balrak earlier dripping with gold but even then the gold turned him away from his thoughts… wait when had he thought the dragon was handsome?  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

The great wyrm was pleased to see the blond looking well once again, though he pondered Aerion's predicament with a frown. It was odd to hear the blond was missing such a large chunk of memories from his life, and it really did not sound normal, even to a dragon who's younger years were largely a blur of hunger and food. But it was still a remembered bunch of blurs, not a hole in his thoughts. What bothered Balrak the most was there was apparently no way to fix it, either. The dragon didn't like it, not one bit, but so long as it did not become a real problem, it could be ignored. Right?

The firebreather chuckled at Aerion's depiction of how he met the man, and scared him off. "I don't know. Perhaps you are simply not as lovely as you would like to believe beneath all your clothes," the dragon couldn't help but say, quite amused at the thought of any creature looking at his elf and seeing anything but a lovely treasure. "Pah, they do not need so much breeding. They've already covered much of the land with their farms and people. It is a good thing I pruned them down a bit," Balrak added in a self-satisfied tone. No more bothersome humans would be interrupting his time looking through his kingdom for more treasures, that was for sure. The lying human had likely learned his lesson, and the dragon had taken care of the closest town where the firestarters had all come from.

So that left him free time to search for gold. And once every little trinket was found and sorted, the dragon wanted something things to do with his time. He'd slept long enough, and elves were just as long-lived as he was. The dragon was a bit disappointed at the pastimes listed, but figured he could at least try them out. "Hm. Drinking. Yes ... many species like to do that." He was sure he'd smelled the scent of aged wine and barrels in a few parts of the city. Perhaps he could indulge on centuries-wised grape juice and see how it tasted. "Hmm. For now, I will look for gold I may have missed in the nooks of the city," the dragon decided aloud, sniffing the air to determine which buildings might be hiding the most treasures.  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

Aerion was honestly expecting ridicule about the activities, maybe an odd comment, but instead the dragon seemed to be almost interested. It was… funny really to think about the large dragon drinking his woes away, as if he had any woes, but at least the dragon then decided to leave him alone for a time being to search the kingdom for riches. Aerion didn't know how long that would take to be honest, he had no right idea, but he wasn't expecting to be running into the other searching for the next two MONTHS. It seemed as if the beast didn't sleep, he just rooted around for hours on end searching for gold and adding to his horde.

While the dragon took his time with that Aerion decided that he would search the kingdom as well for the books missing out of the library so he could fix them up and put them back. He was rather quick about the whole process of finding the books and restoring them, at least compared to most other elves, he had to admit that his patch jobs would not last as long considering he was not the best but he had time and resources to build up to being able to repair the books for a very long time. He ended up fixing three of the other gardens as well, one had a large spiraling tree that Aerion quite enjoyed sitting in because he could watch the dragon move around the Kingdome, he even got around the burying the children in the nursery.

Unfortunately it turned out there was more than one nursery and Aerion found some slightly more composed bodies in the second one, dressed in silk, he realized they must have lasted longer then the others when he stumbled upon them in a sealed room. He ended up burying them with the others in the garden by his rooms, he felt they would like it better there, sentimentality an all of that. He had a few lapses where he seemed to forget where he was or what he was doing since the first time but thankfully Balrak was not around to really see those… beside one incident where Aerion found himself standing in what appeared to be a childs room that was just covered in blood.

It stank of it, reeked, and the body he found on the bed was ripped to pieces and old. He had been in there a long time, his hands covered in dirt and old blod from touching the stains, he didn't remember how he got there or what he had done but when Balrak found him he had whipped around as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He didn't tell the dragon but there was an image in his head of his father standing there, staring at him in horror, and the blood on his hands had suddenly felt warm and alive instead of dry and dead.

He had quickly left the dragon to look through the ransacked room, it was already devoid of treassures, but he wouldn’t tell him that because he couldn’t exactly remember how he knew something like that. Aerion decided not to explore after that, decided it was better if he stayed in his safe little room, but that lasted just a day before he was going around again and looking for books to fix. Now Aerion was sure that Balrak had found all the glittering gold and gems that he could, his horde having grown quite a bit, and he was sure the other would be bothering him again soon but he didn't know when.

He had been working on a song, to sing for the dragon, but it was not ready and wouldn’t be for a while so he hoped that the other would be loud in his approach as Aerion hummed it to himself. No words right now, just a little tune, he had the words in his head to work on though. The blond was in his garden, toying with some baby's breath that he had planted of the children's grave, he wondered what the Dragons first questions would be when he tried to speak to him again… he hoped he had forgotten the incident form before and would not bring it up… or the other times that Aerion had been wandering around seemingly dazed.

**

When Sand'ril had learned of his sons disappearance things had grown… tense very quickly in the kingdom. The king had become angry, livid even, with those who had been tasked to watch over his wayward son and many elves had found themselves in the prisons that had not been intended for them. They had the chance to redeem themselves though, soon after they had been stowed away, because soon after the elf king was sending out search parties for his wayward son. He sent a small group the way his son had gone the first time but that was all to no avail and it was no until almost two months after his son had vanished that the rumors of the dragon hit the king.

Sand'ril knew what it meant, he knew very well, but he wanted his boy back and he would sacrifice a few to get Aerion home. He called forth those who had betrayed their posts, one of Aerions close friends being in that group, and then sent them out to go and search for the abandoned kingdom and his son. Dralin was none to happy about the situation, already having spent the past months mourning his friend who he was sure was dead since he had not returned, and now he was to go and face the same fate? It was a cruel punishment for something he could not have stopped if he had wanted too.

Dralin and the other were not long into their journey though when they ran into what they considered to be trouble. Dralin was a rare elf, he was dark with very pale skin, there were no warm colors to him. His eyes were not the warm pale blue but instead an icy color and he had a very serious set to him. He was a sight to behold though, even for a low born, there was a good reason that everyone enjoyed seeing him and Aerion together. Day and night they would say, like watching the sun and moon dance, Dralin and Aerion thought it was ridiculous.

Dralin dismounted his horse as they caught the human off guard, he wasn't to surprised seeing as they didn't really seem to have an "on" guard, but he didn't draw his weapon. "What is your purpose on the elvin path human. You know your kind is not welcomed here."  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

A long, content sigh emptied it way slowly out of Balrak's lungs as the dragon stared out at his hoard. Pride filled his chest, knowing he'd successfully swept the kingdom from top to bottom for every single treasure. None was left for wayward thieves or wanderers. Now all of his treasures were securely within the bounds of his liar ... well, all his gold and jewels, anyway. Balrak turned his thoughts to Aerion, pondering how odd that particular elf was. Odd, but still quite the treasure. The dragon shifted his weight and then rose to his feet, closing his eyes and shifting into his smaller, human form. Speaking of the elf, there was work to be done now. Well ... learning things; time-consuming things that weren't boring. Balrak assumed his usual human form, highly adorned and hard to miss as the metal and gems clacked against one another while he climbed the stairs and strolled the city in search of the golden-haired elf.

The black-haired dragon held his head high, a bit used to this altered form now that he'd sent so much time searching smaller rooms with it. Though it was still highly inferior to his original glorious form, of course. So inferior a comparison was not even truly possible; like comparing an ant to a great jungle cat, there was simply no point in even trying. Balrak quickened his pace, however, when he hear humming coming from one of the elf's gardens, grinning to himself. The elf really was a good singer, though this new tune was unfamiliar. The dragon paused, just listening a while around a corner and tilting his head. It really was something he'd never heard before; hm. No ... not quite a full song; just a tune. As curious as the dragon was, Balrak walked around the corner and noisily walked over to the elf instead of lingering to try to puzzle it out.

"Nice song; what are the words to it?" Balrak asked, as blunt as ever, leaning against one of the trees in the garden. "I want you to teach me archery. It sounded like one of the more promising practices of your kind to pass the time, and my aim is already quite impeccable. And in my travels I found what looked to be an archery range. So, where do you keep your bow?" The dragon remembered seeing the elf drop the weapon, but not what the blond did with it afterwards.

*

Noran had been cursing elf 'paths' for the past week or so, having run out of human roads to travel and now stuck on elven ones. How the blasted long-ears managed to get their mounts to stand such slim deer-walkways through the thick woods was something the blond would never understand.

The prince was a stout man, not overly tall, and thick boned, like his dad. This meant he was also quite muscular, and road a rather large warhorse so the beast could walk with ease with such an armored weight upon its sturdy back. His blond, short-sheered hair was now where near a gold or even straw-like shade; instead it was a milky cream color, like one of the kindly retriever hounds from Labramoar. His eyes were a similar shade of chocolaty brown akin to those dogs as well, which left his siblings no lack of taunting names to call the fourth-born son. The primary taunt had always been 'puppy' though; "Nor, the 'smallest hound of Labramoar", so they said.

But Noran, out of all his brothers, was the best woodsman and tracker. So, his father's decision to send him out on such an important mission had been not too much a surprise, but still a high honor. As the prince traveled however ... and the woods got denser ... and his poor horse had to navigate through terrain far from home, the man had almost lost hope when (despite the far distance he'd traveled and near proximity to an elven wood) he'd found no signs of elves.

Until he was suddenly surrounded, that is.

Nor stiffened in his seat, his bay-colored horse's ears flicking back and stamping a bit in reaction to his rider's surprise before Nor pat the animal's neck, making calming noises. "My apologies; but my father sent me to speak with you. Not you personally," Nor went on, dismounting his horse and keeping hold of the bridle, patting his horse's nose while keeping the stallion's head still. Noran imagined letting his horse bite anyone would be ... detrimental to learning about giant fire-breathing lizards. "I've been looking for you folk; my father thought your kind would have invaluable knowledge on how to deal with dragons," he explained, keeping his eye on the elf that had first addressed him, though he didn't unbuckle the sword sheath keeping his weapon close around his waist. "A large wyrm has been spotted in the deeper forests on the western side of my father's kingdom. Any knowledge you have to share would be invaluable to both me and my people."  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

Aerion jerked to standing when Balrak appeared, startled by the dragons sudden appearance in his not so usual form, before he looked back down at the baby's breath he still gripped in his hands. He was getting too comfortable in this kingdom, letting his guard down, then again he was sure the Dragon wasn't about to sneak up behind him and eat him. Or Roast him, get creative and stab him, something along those lines Aerion was sure that Balrak would rather keep him in one piece. Aerion looked over to the dragon then back to his flowers once, twice, thrice then leaned back down and started fixing the mess he had made.

"The song has words but you won't find them out… I haven't finished them yet." Aerion stood and brushed off his hands when the other brought up archery, a thin blond eyebrow raising in curiosity, before he chuckled and nodded towards his rooms. "I can show you but it's really not as exciting as you would think at first. I picked up my bow a while ago and have been using it, let me go get it and we'll practice with that one, but you will need one fit more for you height. Mine is smaller than most." Aerion stepped away from the flowers then trotted off to his rooms before coming back with a bow and a few Arrows.

"Follow me and I will take you to the archery range. I cleaned it up and found some arrows while I was there, no they don't have any shiny on them, lets go." Aerion easily pulled the quiver filled with arrows over his shoulder, the motion practiced over years of archery, then he started his way to the range. When there he looked Blarak over in all his dripping gold, it would get in the way, then undid the gawdy over shirt and pulled it off him before handing him the bow. "Too much jewlery will get in the way right now, later when you have learned you can keep your gaudy over pieces on, for now you'll need to strip down to much less. I learned archery in my younger years in nothing but a shirt and pant-" Aerion stopped, not knowing where that had come from, he had no recollection of how he had learned archery so he didn't know why he had just told Balrak that.

"… Sorry, pants, that's what I was going to say. Anyway do you have any idea how to hold a bow?"

**

Darlin stared at the man, his hand at his side on his dagger he kept in his belt, he pulled the hood he had on down when the other mentioned a dragon and he stared at him for a moment before speaking quickly to one of the others in elvish "He wishes to know about the dragon… What do you suggest we say?" The man on the horse beside Darlin looked the man, Nor, over before dismounting his horse as well. "I say we guide him out of our forest and share what we can. Were dead men either way Darlin, no reason we can't help the humans now, I am sure they wouldn't have sent their men to their death because the prince got himself in trouble." Darlin turned and pressed a hand to the males chest, holding him back and hiding his face from view.

"Do not forget he is still our king. Death is not certain so do not act as if you are already dead. I will have to pull one fools mind from such thoughts when we find him I do not want to do it for my men." The man looked to him, light blue eyes unsure, then he nodded and mounted his horse again. Darlin turned back around and spoke in human tongue "We will show you out of this forest, we know the way, I will tell you what I know about the beast you speak of but you must understand… this creature is not to be trifled with. If you leave him and his lands alone he will not bother you… I have seen what he has done to people and they are nothing more than tinder or meat to him." Darlin nodded and to Nor's horse then mounted his own again and motioned for the other to follow him.  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

Balrak only grinned at the elf's surprise, quite pleased with his own apparent 'sneaking' prowess. He tilted his head the elf's reply, fascinated. "You're making a song? What is it about? Do you often make songs?" The dragon was quite curious, but waited with clear anticipation while the blond went to go grab his bow and return. Balrak looked around the garden until the elf came back, blinking and opening his mouth--but Aerion had already beaten him to asking about gold. "Gold is not just a 'shiny'," the dragon huffed, "it is treasure." He followed the elf, wondering why the size of the bow would matter. All bows were bows, to shoot arrows, right?

The humanized-dragon held his tongue ... until they arrived and Aerion assaulted him. Or, more specifically, his shirt. "H-hey! That's mine!" Balrak burst out childishly, gripping his shirt a moment before Aerion explained the importance of being unencumbered. The dragon stared at the elf a few long moments, a frown deep-set on his face before letting out a slow sigh, and letting go of his 'beautiful' shirt and taking the offered bow.

"Do try to keep your mind on the present, yes? And please; I'm a dragon. Do you really think I've ever bothered holding a splinter like this before?" Balrak said, holding the bow by it's wooden end and looking the thing over. He pulled the string a bit, testing just how far it could bend. "Can't be too hard, hand me an arrow."

Balrak wasn't bad-looking without his shirt; he'd done quite well in the crafting of his human form, frame well-muscled as he shifted his shoulders and tried to properly get the arrow to somehow 'fit' with the bow ... with little success. It started to look like it was going to be more likely that the dragon would break the bow before he managed to get the arrow to fly anywhere.

*

Nor blinked as the elf's hood came down, not used to the sight before him. Even someone as ignorant as he in most of the ways of elves knew such dark hair and pale skin was not very common among their kind. The other's icy blue eyes also unnerved the cream haired human a bit, but he stood quietly while the elves spoke amongst themselves. He pat his horse, not entirely calm about the lack of knowing what the elves were saying, but there was hardly much he could do much about it.

He did smile and leap back onto his own large stallion. "Much thanks. Though as far as I've heard about the matter it's already caused a stir; if rumors can be believed it's been seen eating leviathan off of the coast, and killed foresting men with no warning besides fire and death ... him?" Nor asked. It seemed odd to place a specific gender for what most men Nor had heard just call 'it'.  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

Aerion watched the others bumbling and tried not to chuckle because he was hopeless with a bow. Aerion stepped up and grabbed the others hand to steady it. "Alright there is a notch on the back of the arrow, very small, but it's just right for the bow string. You slide the arrow into position with that but be gentle." Aerion grabbed Balraks other hand, having to press close to make the stretch, it was all the height difference that caused it but then again Aerion didn't feel odd at all like this. "Keep your hand here, slide it down a bit, rest the arrow here and then pull back to right about… There! Stop pulling. Feel the tension? That’s half power for the bow. For now just pull it back that far alright? Not any further alright?" Aerion kicked the others legs out with light taps to a better stance.

"Focus on where you are going to hit, then on the breath out release the arrow. Alright?" Aerion went silent after that, waiting for Balrak to do as said, he saw theothers hand move on the bow and internally winced as he released the arrow and whacked his arm and hand. "That's going to happen until you get used to the bow. A bigger bow would help though, your arms are to long for mine, but I can search for one for you later. For now try again on your own." Aerion watched the other silently and stepped in again to position everything correctly.

**

Darlin nodded as the other mounted his horse then started leading the way. He had a feeling that the humans had not thought to put a gender to the beast, they probably thought he was a mindless animal, that was far from the case. Balrak, as with other dragons, was very intelligent and just because he was a dragon did not mean that he was any less wise than the other races. "Yes him, his name is Balrak, he has many grand titles that you do not need to know of." Darlin heard a few of the elves with them whisper about stupid humans and he gave a sharp whistle the cut their chatter. He would not hear their idiocy at the moment, he didn't need to, so he wasn't going to allow the chatter to continue.

"Dragons are not mindless beasts as many would like to think. They are very smart and most likely he burned those woodsmen because he believe that wood belongs to him. Everything in that wood that has been touched by his taint is now his and will stay his until the day he dies." Darlin looked to Nor. "But do not take that as a challenge. You will lose because nothing can kill a dragon short of a few rare arrows that your people do not possess. He has woken up and you should be glad all he has done is feast on leviathan and burn a few people." Darlin sighed heavily then went silent as he continued down the path.

"My name is Darlin so you know. We know that reason why the dragon wakes and well… it's unfortunate but the prince decided to go to the old kingdom the dragon inhabits and must have woken him. I know Aerion well, his intent was most likely to just take his people back home, but he had assumed the dragon would be dead." Darlin sighed and heard a few comments behind him, something about it all being the kings fault, and he gave another sharp whistle along with a glare. Everyone went silent at that, very few would argue with him because he was a very harsh leader.

"My companions are at odds with our king at the moment… we were the guard that was supposed to watch over our prince so he would not leave. Aerion is slippery though and he left, lead another group on a goose chase in the opposite direction as well." Darlin sighed heavily and turned down a path that the other was sure to not have taken before.  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

Balrak grumbled a little at first at Aerion's guiding him; the feeling of such close proximity to another that was actually close in size to himself was an alien thing to the dragon. The only time in memory when he'd really had others around his size was after hatching ... and siblings had been competition, and food. Dragons ... were really not the best at being a 'cuddly' species; physical demonstrations among them were mostly acts of attack, domination or submission. But Balrak accustomed himself to the touching, golden eyes focusing upon the bow and arrow; on what Aerion showed him to do. The dragon slowly learned the ways of the bow, and what to feel for as he was moved into the correct positions. Though, of course, he wasn't exactly a star pupil, but at least the dragon wasn't a complete idiot either.

He growled lowly at the rebound off of the bow as he fired arrows, not used to the feeling of pain after so long of being a impenetrable monster that none dared to combat. Eyes glowing with suppressed shock and rage, Balrak curled his lip before huffing and taking another arrow, trying again. He had good eyesight; more than good enough to see how much he missed the mark. That was more frustrating than the little twangs of pain, so he focused on the task of hitting one of the old targets on it's mark ... or actually hitting one.

Time passed, long enough for the dragon to have to go fetched his shot arrows and come back before finally hitting one of the targets. "Ha!" the raven haired male crowed, turning to grin at Aerion as if he'd just hit a bull's-eye. "See that?!" the dragon asked in a 'of course you saw it aren't I awesome' tone.

*

"O-oh ..." Prince Noran sat heavily in his saddle, slowly digesting the fact that the beast was ... intelligent. Sentient. This information was already invaluable, though ... to just let a dragon sit on that much land and do as it pleased? Would his father and brothers really be content with such a solution? Nor sighed, shaking his head, but listened on with a sharp ear and took note of how the black-haired elf kept control of the group.

"Darlin'?" Nor mis-prenounced at first, mistaking the elvish name for the shortened form of 'darling' before he caught himself. "Darlin, got it. I'm Prince Noran; most call me Nor. So ... you're going to retrieve this Prince Aerion, then? Or ... his body?" From what he'd heard so far, the young man assumed it more like any intruder would be fried without mercy. And heck, if the not-so-dumb beast was as grouchy a waker as he was, Nor was sure the poor elven prince wouldn't have lasted long ... though elves were quick. Perhaps there was hope yet. Nor liked to try to be optimistic.

"So, you're going all the way to those woods? Mind if I join you on your way? From what I've heard so far, the nest I can do for my people is head to those woods directly as soon as possible, and warn those living near to it to leave this Balrak well enough alone."  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

Aerion watched the other with sort of fondness, remembering all the younglings he had taught over the years, there were few but he was a good teacher and they flocked to him. Watching Balrak grow frustrated, having to tell him to calm down or the arrow would not fly true, it all seemed so familiar in a way that made his heart sick. He would not get to see those younglings again, would not get to see Darlin again, and it hurt a great deal because elves were not so solitary. They lived with so many others for a reason, they thrived off of each other, and there were just to many days that the only company Aerion had was the corpses left laying around the kingdom.

Aerion watched the other though, tried to keep the thoughts at bay, and spent more time soaking in the joy of the situation. He still was not overly fond of Balrak, the dragon was tiresome in large doses, but watching him try so hard to learn archery was almost… cute. If one could call a large lean man without a shirt on cute. Aerion made Balrak even fetch his own arrows, telling him it was useful to learn how to pull them out without breaking them, of course that more because he was sure there were a few jade tips laying around embedded in some bodies.

Aerion chuckled when Balrak finally hit his mark, not dead on but he actually hit it, then he gave the other a small applause. "See? Already you are getting better but try not to get so frustrated. My father liked to say that the bow and arrow can tell when you are frustrated and they will refuse to hit their spot until you are calm. Try aiming a little higher next time though, not much, the arrow falls as it flys." Aerion motioned for Balrak to fire another one off then he stood and took the bow from him.

"Just watch me for a moment, I will go slow, we'll work on speed later." Aerion gripped the bow lightly, admittedly it looked much more intimidating in his hands than Balraks seeing as it was his size, he pulled the bow back to full extension and kept his stance straight and even. "Remember, fire on an exhale not and inhale." He fired, not putting much thought into it, and hit the target dead on. "For now I just want you to learn how to fire the arrow at your target at half strength, it builds you faster to long distance shooting, eventually you'll be able to do something along these lines-" Aerion grabbed three arrow and slotted them quickly before firing them off with what seemed no trouble at all.

Every arrow his it's target dead on but there was a key shift in Aerions position as each arrow left the bow that lead to the targets being hit. He handed the bow back over, then another arrow, and walked around Balrak as he positioned it. "Elbow up, stop dropping it, you're being lazy. Don't let your muscles tell you that you are done. Come on elbow up-" Aerion tapped Balraks elbow that was guiding the arrow then nodded. "Aim a little higher, just a little higher, to the left… alright your ready." Aerion watched the arrow hit the target again and he chuckled.

"The key is not to focus on the arrow, but instead your target, adjust accordingly and use your intuition. You are doing fantastic compared to the young ones I used to teach and they were born archers." Aerion gave the others back a pat then headed down to the targets to pull out the arrows.

**
Darlin was a bit surprised by the pronunciation of his name from the human, very few have ever dared to use that around him, of course the man was quick to fix himself but Darlin couldn’t help but to chuckle. "You humans have the hardest time pronouncing our names. I'll teach you correctly one the journey out of the wood." At the others next question Darlin went silent, contemplative, then he nodded. "Body, him, or nothing. If there is a body or god forbid he does not want to return… we will not be returning to our kingdom. The king is bitter with us for losing his son, he is very unhappy." Darlin sighed but jerked his head up to look at the man when he mentioned traveling with them.

"What ever village has been causing problems for the dragon has most likely already been dealt with. There will be nothing but ash, you will have no one to warn there, but you can join us. My men won't mind, we have been to several human encampments before so we know better of your kind than most, you might learn something while you are with us." Darlin heard a few chuckles behind him as they continued on. The day was growing old, the sun starting to sage behind the trees, it was already much later than Darlin would have liked to still be riding but eventually they made it to a spot where they could set up for the night.

"It's not safe to travel the wood at night, our wood may not be tainted but guards of the kingdom tend to shoot first ask later when faced with intruders." Darlin dismounted his horse with the rest of his group then they all quickly set up camp. What armor they did have came off, they wouldn’t need it in the elves wood at night, the others sat around the fire made and Darlin watched as Noran made his tent.

"You should learn how to pronounce our names correctly if you are to stay with us. I may not mind the miss pronunciation but Al'ian is a stickler and will become very upset quickly if you don't learn. My name is the easiest to pronounce if you are wondering." Darlin stepped in and helped the other, making quick work of the job "Unlike the rest of our kind you won't find much prejudice… Though if we treat you like a child at times you will have to pardon us. For us your kind is very, very, young and it is hard for us to move our minds away from the thought that you are a youngling. Malich may even try to protect you should anything happen…." Darlin bit his lip then stood up straight.

"Pardon me if this is all… odd to say. It's been a long time since I have had company beside those around the fire…" Darlin brushed some hair behind his ear and sighed.  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

Balrak stood up straighter and look far too proud of himself at the single hit of a target, but of course the dragon was a creature that ate up praise and complements far more happily than he did meat. Even if Aerion's complements were small and hardly worth anything, they were almost grander than the titles he'd fashioned for himself. An ounce of genuine truth was worth it's weight in gold, and of course everyone knew how much dragons loved gold. Every tiny coin was as important as any other, and a thrill to obtain by any means necessary ... even if archery was proving to be a very frustrating pastime.

Though, the dragon had to admit to himself, closely watching the golden-haired elf as Aerion slowly demonstrated proper posture, a little frustration is worth a show. This prince must be the best-looking elf in all the land with hair such as his, and a nice small frame. The dragon didn't have long to admire his prized possession, however. Soon he was holding the bow again, and Aerion was tapping his elbow. Frowning the dragon wanted to retort that of course he was lazy! Humans had such noodle wimpy little arms, how could he be expected to possibly use the little muscles when they ached so easily?

But Balrak was being surprisingly good with his temper, determined to gain as much praise as possible. Though as the hours passed by, Balrak eventually grew bored and too annoyed with archery to continue (without risking breaking either the bow or his 'teacher'). So the dragon gave the bow back to Aerion, putting his glittering golden shirt back on with a happy sigh, hugging himself. He was golden and glorious and would put forth more effort in his practice at archery ... tomorrow. For now the dragon finished up the day's lesson by helping the elf to fetch the last few arrows from where they lay.

"Say elf," the dragon spoke up as they worked, eyes on the arrow he was painstakingly extracting from one of the targets. "Is there any particular reason you tend to wander around the city like a sleepwalker, or is it all just another part of the illness you cannot explain?" Of course Balrak had to bring that up now. And the dragon didn't stop there, lingering near Aerion to ask yet more things ... though the beast seemed to be in surprisingly good humor after all the growls and groans at learning archery. "Aerion ... you seem to have everything you need here; is there anything you are lacking?"

Balrak was not often ... thoughtful. But he did not want Aerion to die or wither or anything along those lines. He was really coming to like the company the elf provided, even if the elf did not like him. Aerion was not a creature he could easily understand, and that meant the elf often surprised him. Being as aged as he was, few things surprised the dragon in his life any longer. Especially when it came to 'lesser beings' who hardly seemed interesting enough to keep his attention more than a blink. But Aerion never seemed to act as expected, and was golden and pleasing to look at even when he was being infuriating. And, quite importantly, the elf was not going to die anytime soon. All very valuable traits the dragon wanted to make sure stayed with him as long as possible; and that meant keeping the elf alive and marginally happy.

*

Noran had tied his warhorse far from the elven steeds, not wanting his stallion to cause any trouble in the night. The human had been digesting quite a lot when Darlin spoke up to him while he was beginning to put up his own sleeping tent. The blond smiled, shrugging his large shoulders. "Look, I'm the fourth born of the king where I come from. I'm used to being treated like a youngster, so you guys don't have to worry too much on that front. I've been bullied enough by my older brothers to take most of what anybody can toss at me." The raven-haired male's help in setting up the tent was much appreciated, though Nor couldn't help but chuckle at the elf's supposed embarrassment. "I won't be able to learn much about elves if you don't speak you're mind, now will I?"

It was still pretty odd ... traveling with elves. As far as Noran had heard, elves were supposed to be stuck-up, long-eared, jerks. And worse. But Nor figured he just had to roll with it; so far the elves didn't seem such bad company. Even if all he had to look forward to was a pile of ashes and an angry dragon at journey's end ... this promised to be a very educational adventure.

"I just hope you won't mind if I'm open back. Earlier ... you mention your prince might not not want to return when you find him ... how could that be? Surely if he's being held hostage by a dragon he will welcome any escape with open arms? Aleian ... Alleean ... Al'an?" He started trying with the foreign names under his breath. It was tricky wrapping his tongue around the elven names, particularly this late in the day. "And before I start some sort of war by accidentally breaching some sort of elvish etiquette; would it be gravely insulting to any of your number if I eat or hunt meat while we travel together?"  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

((Just sendin' ya some fun because I know you're busy~ ))  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

After hours of training Aerin was quite happy to come to and end of his teaching session. Not because he was tired, he could have carried on for much longer, but for the fact that it seemed his student was getting very frustrated. He had seen many bows broken by frustrated children who did not want to continue their practice but were pushed past their handling point so Aerion was not going to push the dragon. Maybe treating him like a giant child would make thing s bit easier then? Even if Aerion was not the fondest of children, he was not very good with them outside of training, he guessed the others mentality and physical form were enough to make it enough of a strange situation to keep him from feeling odd about it.

Aerion was cleaning off his bow that Balrak had handed back to him, not paying much mind to the other as he did so, when he was asked about his strange habit of walking about the kingdom. Aerion still his hand, soft cloth stopping on and upward stroke before falling off the bow as he looked up at him. Aerion looked to his side, sitting on a bench, and set his bow down before retrieving an arrow to fiddle with. Balrak was being oddly accommodating, even with the bow skills, it was strange and completely unlike the dragon who had previously done nothing but threaten and ignore him between the questions.

"I.. To your first question yes. Yes it does and no I don't know how to make it stop… please do not mention it again? It's not often that elves have something wrong with them like this but eventually It will go away." Weather it would be by the fact that whatever was hiding in his head fully came out or it just crept back into it's cage somewhere in the recesses of his mind. Aerion sighed running a finger over the feathers on his arrow, enjoying the feeling of their give, before he decided to answer the second question truthfully.

"I would like some uh… company. It may sound silly to you because your kind is solitary but I would like to have someone around more, not particularly you if you do not wish it, but I just need to be around some one. It's not often elves are alone and around death so often. Usually we stay away from situations like that."Aerion put the arrow back in the quiver then looked up at Balrak with a questioning look because he wasn't to sure that he understood what he was asking for.

**

Darlin blinked a little at the others words then let him go on before he actually started laughing and disappeared for a moment before coming back with some cured meats and a few other things. "We don't hunt much in this part of the woods so how about I just share what I have with me with you?" Darlin also helped the other build a fire of his own since they were further away from the other group. "I didn't mean you would get bullied, that won't happen, maybe teased because you are a bit short but you're more likely to be protected in an irritating manner." Darlin shifted where he was sitting and took a bit out of the bread in his hand.

"The thing with Aerion though… he doesn't remember the kingdom he went to. He has forgotten all of his childhood and things that happened… things he did at a very young age and things that were done to him. When he remembers he.. won't want to return. He's much different than the rest of us, much more wounded without knowing it, and to be honest the only reason our people let the dragon have our kingdom was because of what happened to him. I won't explain it because it's not my place now but maybe… maybe later. Anyway you should probably eat and rest. We are leaving as soon as the sun rises and it will come sooner than you think. We'll talk more tomorrow on the road." Darlin stood and went to his own tent.

**

Aerion had left Balrak after that discussion, not wanting to really think about the question he had asked, he hadn't really waited around for an answer as well. He knew it had been rude but the abrupt departure was probably going to leave the dragon questioning but also give him time to think. Sheets shifted around Aerions waist, sticking to damp skin as he shifted around, his fingers slowly curling in the light fabric.

Pale bare skin was exposed to the moonlight as Aerion lay asleep in his bed but it seemed anything but peaceful as his muscles tensed and shifted under his skin. His chest rose and fell at a slightly faster tempo, head turned to the side as he laid on his back, his legs shifting every few breaths. Aerion jerked his head in a small motion, eyes moving quickly behind his eyelids, his breathing stuttering then continuing at a slightly faster pace. In his head he was just seeing flashes of red, lots and lots of red, it covered him. Head to toe it covered him and made him sick, poisoned him, sunk into him and slid up his body and into his throat then over his body like sickly familiar hands.

Hands that were to small to be his own clutched a dagger to big to be his before he was stabbing the dagger down into a stomach on a bed but the dagger was in his own stomach. Hands pulled at his clothes in a way they should and a sick chuckle sounded in Aerions ears as blood poured from his stomach "Don't worry little brother-" Aerion jerked up and awake at this, his chest heaving as if he had spent the past day running, and h looked down at himself to make sure he was not bleeding. Aerion stopped, hands resting on his own hips, and felt the tears on his face.

The way his breath hitched when he breathed and the choking feeling… he wrapped his arms around his own waist and took a silent moment to let the tears roll down his cheeks. He stared at the far wall, dazed and confused and hurt, he wished he had someone there to help him… He hated how alone he was at the moment, how sick he felt, it made everything so much worse.


((I loved that picture. Sorry about the wait by the way. School and then work combined killed my creativity.))  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

(I know I am pestering but I am finally not busy D smile  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

Nor looked at the dark-haired elf in surprise when the other laughed before walking off, wondering what was so humorous ... until Darlin returned. The young man's eyes widened in a shocked delight at the sight of some proper cured meat and such. "This is all much appreciated," Nor told the elf truthfully as they both made a proper fire, the human quickly warning up a little bit of the cured meat to make it more appetizing to eat. Jerky was all well and good, but to Nor nothing beat freshly-cooked meat ... well, perhaps some nice stews did, but in the woods this was the best Nor could hope for. The blond was chewing on his first savored bite, figuring elves were not vegetarians despite what most rumors said; when Darlin spoke up.

The prince's forehead furrowed as his eyebrows came together in slight confusion. Protect him? Nor looked down at his own well-muscled and armed self, wondering what there was to protect. Sure, he was a bit on the short side, but he'd ridden this far on his own. Surely he didn't look that helpless? Nor would've argued the point but ... as Darlin spoke on about the elf prince that was likely trapped by the dragon ... Nor had much more to think about than just getting teased about his height. What childhood could be so bad as to make an elf want to stay with a dragon in a dead city instead of going home? But the man did not ask; as Darlin said, the elf would speak of it if he wanted to, no sooner or later than then. Nor instead finished up his dinner and then got to putting out his fire with a healthy heaping of dirt. Once he was sure it was completely out, the human went into his tent and quickly fell asleep, despite the curious thoughts buzzing around in his head. He'd had a long day and would likely sleep like a rock ... a rock with his sword at the ready right by his side, but still a rock.

*

Balrak had been grumbling to himself and thinking about what Aerion had said for the longest time. The golden haired elf had gone off, leaving the beast to ponder the possibilities ... not there were many. The dragon knew himself well; he would not be able to tolerate any creature in his domain that was not his possession. So if the elf needed company to remain moderately sane ... or at least to not become insane or wilted, the dragon knew what needed to be done. Not that he would enjoy it ... but at least it was sure to be interesting. The dragon liked interesting.

Having noticed the elf did not only dislike gold, but the last visit to the hoard had made the elf almost ill-looking. No idea why, the dragon quite loved the sight and smell of his familiar rich dwelling, but figured it would be best to leave all of his hoard where it lay. The dragon himself was secure enough knowing no creature of any sentience would not dare to try to steal from him anytime soon. So, the dragon looked down at his glittering, rich clothes with a sad sigh. The elf did not care for the wonderful display either. So Balrak closed his eyes a moment, and the glittering gold and jewels darkened and wilted down into a slick back silk against his skin. The dragon frowned, finding it easier to move but far less familiar to feel ... soft, all over. At least the gold had been reassuring cold metal, but fabric? The dragon would've altered his looks further, but at this point the human-mockup was feeling too lazy to bother. He'd had a long day doing lots of things, and was now craving a bit of doing nothing for a while.

So, the lazy lizard walked leisurely through the empty streets and halls until coming to the first garden Aerion had tidied up, and where the elf slept. The dragon slowed, keeping his footsteps quiet and wanting to observe the golden haired treasure sleeping ... but once Balrak saw Aerion was not only awake but also dripping liquids from his eyes, the dragon frowned and huffed. "..." The elf had said he didn't want to talk about his own weird 'illness' anymore, so the dragon did not say a word. Instead, Balrak walked over to one of the old couches and sat down heavily in it, watching Aerion with half-lidded eyes. Not commenting, just watching like a lazy snake coiled in the corner, and just about as empathetic as a snake might've been to such a display of tears.