Loyal to the Motherland [M]

[DragonSong]

"Ah...okay. Right." Swallowing a little thickly, Verik wrapped his arm around Dane's waist again, gently securing him against his chest as he leaned forward just slightly to place his other hand on the pommel of the saddle.

"Alright, old boy. Let's move."

Bane snorted, then rocked back on his haunches and launched into the air was a thunderous clap of his wings.

[Juno]

Verik's chest at his back was a comfort as Bane leapt them into the air. Briefly he was flung back, pressing close against the dragonrider before relaxing to lean forward as Bane took them higher and the climb became less steep.

This time there were no screams or fearful clawing from the slave, the view of the sky and the earth rushing by below them taking his breath away in a delighted gasp. Unconsciously he smiled, eyes warm with wonder at the beauty of his homeland.

"This is amazing," he mumbled, shaking his head with a giddy joy before turning to look back to Verik over his shoulder with an excited glint in his eyes. "You do this every day?" he asked a bit louder with an incredulous chuckle.

[DragonSong]

Verik found himself smiling in return, and his grip on the other man tightened just for an instant. "Yeah, as often as we can."

He glanced over Bane's shoulder, watching the world whisk by below them. "It is pretty spectacular, isn't it?" he murmured, as though only just noticing.

[Juno]

Dane sighed happily, having no idea why he'd been so fearful before. Sure it'd been new, and quite an experience at that, but it felt different. He wasn't being stolen away again by some strange man on his dragon. He was with Verik and Bane and even with what little he knew about them from one day they'd earned small piece of his trust in their care of him.

"Mmm... I kind of envy you," he murmured, half-hoping he wouldn't be heard over the buffeting wind.

[DragonSong]

"Hmm?" Had he said said something? It was a little difficult to hear over the noise of the wind. "What was that? You alright?"

[Juno]

"Ah... Yes!" he called a little louder over the wind, flushing and shaking his head at himself as he tried to think of a more appropriate answer. "Just kind of amazing."

[DragonSong]

Verik smiled and he could feel Bane crooning with pride beneath them. "Careful, that flattery will go right to his head," he chuckled, shifting his grip slightly so he could pat the dragon's shoulder affectionately.

[Juno]

Dane chuckled under his breath, looking out to Bane rather fondly for his sounds. They weren’t so scary once he’d realized the dragon didn’t have any desire to harm him.

“Should I not let it? He’s amazing...that he can do this. It’s incredible,” he sighed happily, flushing nervously. “Well, that you both are together.”

[DragonSong]

Bane rumbled smugly and Verik went very, very red. "Well, I-- I don't know about amazing, that's...ahem. We just do our job," he mumbled.

[Juno]

The slave was oblivious to Verik's struggle as he leaned forward to gently pet at Bane's shoulder. "It just seems like...something special," he admitted with a content chuckle.

By the time they were landing at the next camp Dane was actually a little disappointed their time in the air was ending. He braced for the impact, but it wasn't nearly the shock it had been the first day. It still took his breath away to see the ground rushing up to meet them and then suddenly...they were still. His whole body hummed with a thrill he didn't recognize, eyes alight with excitement as he twisted to flash Verik a slightly giddy grin.

"I made it," he murmured, thinking out loud. As soon as he realized he'd actually said it, though, he flushed and looked down at the grass instead with slight disappointment. Getting down meant it was over for the day. He frowned at that, reaching out absently to keep hold of the saddle's pommel.

[DragonSong]

"You did at that," Verik chuckled as he dismounted.

Misinterpreting Dane's reluctance to get off the dragon's back as another bout of nerves, he furrowed his brow slightly and reached up to him. "Need a hand getting down?"

[Juno]

"Um..." Dane looked between Verik and Bane reluctantly, a question on the tip of his tongue that he ended up not asking. It was too much, he didn't know them well enough yet to ask for such things.

"Yeah, sure," he answered automatically instead, grasping Verik's arms for support as he climbed down. Once he was standing again he swayed slightly as he stumbled closer to pat at the dragon's side.

"Thank you for keeping me safe again... That was fun," he admitted to Bane in a whisper he hoped Verik might not hear, cheeks going a bit red.

[DragonSong]

The dragon rumbled and nudged his shoulder lightly, golden eyes glinting playfully.

"Oi, you two gonna just stand around?" Verik finished unloading their packs and smirked at them both. "Dane, you mind setting up camp? We'll be here for a few days, so Bane and I can go hunting and bring back something that'll keep us through until we leave."

[Juno]

Dane's eyes widened slightly at his request, still getting used to being asked for once rather than ordered. Briefly his eyes flickered down to the pile of supplies on the ground and then his lips curved into a small smile as they lifted to meet Verik's, nodding in acceptance. "Sure...That'd be good actually, I don't think I'd be any use hunting anyway."

Finally stepping away from the dragon he picked up as much as he could carry and moved to try to find a bit of even ground to pitch the first tent at.

[DragonSong]

"No worries there." Verik smiled crookedly as he let Dane take some of the packs, dislodging the rest before swinging up onto Bane's back again. "We'll get plenty for the three of us. Although..."

He frowned a moment, considering. "You probably should learn some basics while you're out here. How about next time? Next checkpoint."

[Juno]

Dane paused at Verik's question, turning to eye him curiously as he set down the bags he'd been carrying. It still almost seemed too good to be true that he would want to help, and he had to keep reminding himself that he needed to give the soldier a chance at proving his honesty rather than stay skeptical. It cost him nothing to do that at least, and learning new skills would be helpful either way.

"Sure," he finally agreed, flashing them a brief smile before kneeling to start unpacking what he needed for the first tent. "Whatever you can teach me, I'll do my best... Thank you."

[DragonSong]

"Alright then." That settled, VErik gave him a quick nod before turning his attention skyward, urging Bane up silently with a subtle tap of his heels against the dragon's side. Massive emerald wings snapped open and Bane launched himself into the air, circling the campsite once before peeling away to bank west.

[Juno]

Dane watched in awe as the pair leaped skyward, his lips stretching into an easy grin as they zoomed away from the camp. The dark, quick-moving spot in the distance they quickly became was more or less what he'd been accustomed to seeing of dragons before Anselm had bought him. In a way he counted his blessings he'd been lucky enough to have earned the attention of the soldier, it had led him to meeting the dragon rider and given him a chance to see such a beautiful creature up close for the first time in his lifetime.

Dragging himself out of his thoughts the slave set about getting the camp set up in the clearing, the relative quiet in the air still a bit of an adjustment after hours with the wind buffeting his ears. The silence was nearly deafening for a while, same as before, but it was pleasant to be able to work without being watched for once. At least not by a master's eyes, all manner of creature peeked curiously at the now-occupied camp that normally went unused for most of the month.

By the time the dim light of dusk hung over him Dane had managed to rig the tents and neatly set aside the rest of the supply bags. He'd gathered wood for a fire, arranging it in a neat little tower but had no luck with lighting it himself. His hands were worn red with trying when he set aside bark-stripped sticks to sit down and blow on sensitive skin instead, wincing at the way it stung with every twitch of his fingers.

[DragonSong]

Honestly Verik didn't even know why he bothered to go hunting with his partner. He always carried a bow when they went, but the dragon was more than capable of bringing down a buck or two on his own in a matter of hours.

Which he did.

Every time.

"Gods, next time I'm just sending you off by yourself," Verik complained as they coasted back toward their campsite. Bane just huffed affectionately, banking into a shallow dive to bring them down at the check point.

"How do you feel about venison?" Verik asked absently as he swung down from the dragon's back -- but when he turned and noticed Dane huddled over his own hands, he frowned and strode forward. "What happened?" he asked as he knelt, peering at his palms.

He hissed when he saw the redness, realizing what must have happened quickly. He'd done that himself his first couple trips to the border. "Aw, Dane." He smiled at him crookedly, almost sheepishly, and stood, moving toward his pack. "I've got a salve, c'mere so I can treat that," he urged. "And there's a sparkstone in here. I didn't think you'd try to light the fire on your own, I would've told you."

[Juno]

As the faint sound of Bane's wings flapping on the wind grew louder the slave knew he was running out of time and options. A familiar sense of dread gripped in his chest, his back tensing as he fully prepared for a harsh scolding at best for hurting himself. The thought of venison would have normally been mouthwatering, but Dane just sat there wide-eyed and staring up at Verik as the soldier approached him.

Instinctively he flinched as he loomed over him, not registering the tone of concern at first. Dane tried to curl his hands closer to himself, but that only caused them to sting more and it did nothing to help him since Verik had already seen. But then...he was offering to help again?

The slave lifted his head, still a bit disbelieving that his kindness seemed to...last. It was strange, so different from anyone else he'd ever been owned by or entrusted to. Kindness was normally so fleeting.

Warily Dane rose to his feet, feeling a bit silly as he offered Verik an apologetic smile. "I wish I'd realized," he spoke softly. "I'm sorry about that." Cautiously he uncurled his raw hands, holding them out for the salve with his head turned away as if that might hide the blush that reached his cheeks.

"I wanted it to be ready when you got back," he offered in explanation. Casting a look towards Bane and the bucks he'd brought down, he finally answered his question with a sheepish, "I do like venison, though."