A chance encounter [Brisinger!!]

[Klezmer Gryphon]

The early winter air was crisp and clean, the evergreens of the Niahi woods powdered with snow. Liarri loved winter, and hoped to enjoy it while it was still warm enough to do so. Her hoof-like feet left curious looking footprints in the snow as she strolled along through the forest.

Walking along through this winter wonderland, Liarri decided it was time to rest. Finding a snow-covered log, she sat down and hoped relax for a while.

[Brisinger987]

Seh'lvah hated the snow. It got everywhere, even under her scales. And she could see it there too. Sitting there, melting, taunting her. "Ugh."

She had been flying at a fairly high altitude as well, where the snow was finest. And it melted on her scales. And it made her wet. She HATED it.

She had only just gone down to the forest to look at eating when she spotted deer tracks. Bipedal deer tracks. Strange. She walked noisily, cringing as he paws touched the snow. Ew.

Then she saw the girl sat on the log. Where the tracks led. "Hello? Are you a deer?"

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Liarri had only been sitting there for a few minutes when she heard the crunching of snow behind her. Turning around, she saw the massive dragon walking towards her, asking if she was a "deer". Nervously, she got up, and backed away from the dragon, hoping it wasn't hungry.

"Hey look. I'm not what you think I am!" She said, her whole body shaking like a leaf. She kept backing away until she had her backside against a tree.

[Brisinger987]

"Oh. Ok. What are you then?" Seh'lvah wouldn't sit until she had a decent patch of ground.

So she estimated a rough patch for her to sit in, and blew a few breaths of fire over it, clearing the ground of all life and snow. Woops. It was dry at least. And so she sat, tilting her head at the deer woman.

She was used to other people being scared of her. And this was no different.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

"Well, I am one of the Damhnait. I, um.... I-" Liarri said, stuttering as she stepped away for the tree. She started to walk back to where she was sitting, eying the dragons warily.

"The Damhnait, or as the humans call us, deer-folk, aren't native to Le'raana. As for me personally, I am a healer." She continued, now getting used to the dragon's presence, although there was still some doubt as to whether or not the dragon would eat her.

[Brisinger987]

"Oh, right. Where are you from then?" She leaned in to sniff the girl. She smelled local.

"Damhnait... Nope, never heard of them. Perhaps cause we don't get many people from other lands..." She paused, her brain trying to think about the woman in front of her. Maybe she would be worth bringing back to the colony. She seemed unusual enough to pass off as something valuable. But the elders would be unhappy. They were always unhappy.

"I'm Seh'lvah, nice to meet you." In an accidental moment of teenage friendliness she wagged her tail and knocked a pile of snow from a tree, jumping when it landed on her.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

"Well, you see, Seh'lvah, I was raised here in Le'raana. My parents came here from another land before I was born." Liarri said, gently pushing the dragons muzzle away from her. As she say there with her new friend, she just remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Liarri." She said, formally introducing herself to the dragon.

[Brisinger987]

Seh'lvah shook the snow off her rear end and tried to stop wagging he tail. She had just made an acquaintance!

"Nice to meet you Liarri!" Then she tried to think what to say. Round guys she was so nervous, and hardly ever said anything back home. But she rarely talked to girls. And now she was, she had no idea what to say.

"So you live here in Le'raana? What settlement?" Seh'lvah had spent a while here and knew where the settlements were. Perhaps this woman lived in La'marri.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

"Actually, I live in La'Marri. It's paradise for mages, myself included." She answered. As she was talking, she reached into her cloak and produced a couple of apples. She didn't eat anything that morning, so she was rather hungry.

"Would you like one?" She asked, offering one of the apples to Seh'lvah

[Brisinger987]

Out of curiosity Seh'lvah sniffed it. She had smelt these before. Some farmers grew lots of these. But she had never eaten one. She wanted one.

"Yes please. What are they?" They looked nice.

And she had guessed right. La'marri. She knew it. She was good at guessing.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

"They're apples, silly!" Liarri said playfully. She then, not wanting to risk her arm, put one of the apples on the ground in front of the dragon. It wasn't that she didn't trust Seh'lvah, but rather that she might get a little carried away.

Taking a bite out of her own apple, she pondered something.

"If you don't mind, why are you out here in the first place?"

[Brisinger987]

She picked up the apple and ate it. It tasted nice. She might have a few next time she flew by an orchard.

"Apples... Hm... Never tried one before. Only seen the trees they grow on." She wagged her tail at her new friend, flicking snow everywhere.

"I'm on pilgrimage, I have to bring something valuable or worthwhile back to my colony. You?" She tried to control her tail, resulting in a slow fanning. She hated her tail.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

"Well, I actually out here just to explore. The forest looks completely different during different times of the year." Liarri said, laughing as she did. The snow felt great. She suddenly had an idea. Reaching down, she picked up some snow, and compacted it into a ball between her hands.

"Seh'lvah" she said,"have you ever been in a snowball fight?"

She then threw the snowball playfully at the dragon.

[Brisinger987]

"A snowball fight? What?" Then it hit her. Literally.

As the snow melted on her snout, she scooped up a large amount of snow, made her own snowball, and threw it, hoping it wasn't too big. And hoping it didn't hurt her.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Seeing the size of the snowball, Liarri grabbed her staff and smashed it.

"That was a little too big" she said, laying the staff down. She then grabbed another handful of snow, and made another snowball, throwing it at Seh'lvah.

"Catch me if you can!" She yelled, laughing as she disappeared into the woods. She hadn't had this much fun in a while.

[Brisinger987]

Seh'lvah was having fun. She didn't like the snow, but it was fun to play with. Maybe she would play this with other dragons when she got back to the colony.

Instead of cheating, Seh'lvah walked into the forest, knowing this game. "Are we playing hide and seek?" Seh'lvah laughed.

-----------

Veraxitoc was a black mark against the white snow and the grey sky.

He usually didn't travel this far out, but he felt like spending a few days in some other place. And this place seemed nice. The landscape below was pure white, with a single emerald green dragon...

EMERALD GREEN DRAGON?! Veraxitoc instantly dove towards the dragon, at a speed enough to tackle her.

[Klezmer Gryphon]

Liarri was hiding behind a tree, waiting with another snowball to ambush Seh'lvah. However, looking out from behind her cover, she saw Seh'lvah and another, older looking dragon fighting. Worried, she stepped out from behind the tree and dropped the snowball, and picked up her staff.

"Hey, back off!" she yelled, running towards the pair. Having some experience with elemental magic, she summoned a mighty tempest and blew the older black dragon off of Seh'lvah.

"Are you alright?" She said, looking at her friend.

[Brisinger987]

Seh'lvah was genuinely terrified. This dragon was huge! And it had landed right on her, and started attacking her! She was lucky Liarri saved her. Once she got up, Seh'lvah adopted a submissive bow to the huge dragon, her tail between her legs.

She got a good look at the dragon. A Nightspinner! "Whoa... You're a real Nightspinner! Cool" The words simply escaped her mouth, fear and awe mingling.

------------

Veraxitoc looked at the young Crystal-back. She was wise to submit. And lucky she wasn't dead.

"Who are you both?" He spoke after the Crystal-back had spoken in awe of him. Was his race really that scarce? Had they migrated?

[Klezmer Gryphon]

"Well, sir, I am Liarri de'lMori, mage and healer from La'Marri." She said, bowing respectfully towards the elder dragon.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, sir, but you were attacking my friend. I acted only in her defense."

[Brisinger987]

Seh'lvah was still scare witless, as she trembled in front of the spectacle of a dragon in front of her.

"I-I-I'm S-Seh'lvah... At y-y-your service..." She bowed her head, first off to hide the urge to cry about her seemingly imminent death, and second because she had dragged a friend into the fray. Oh she was useless.

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"I understand that you acted in defense, but I haven't trusted Crystal-backs since Rubidya and Emeraldia killed a dear friend of mind. You may have heard of those names?" His tone was aggressive, and the Crystal-back was submitting. For now.