@DragonSong ----------------
The woman walked along the woods alone, something she was highly unaccustomed to. Baylrys was lying in wait in a clearing, but he was far too large to walk through the trees without flattening half of the forest.
Freisae had heard rumor of a gold-scaled dragon that hadn't left the woods in quite some time. She was no stranger to hermit dragons, but it wouldn't sit right with her if she didn't at least check to make sure the creature was unharmed.
How deep into the forest is it? She thought to herself. Hermit or solitary dragons usually prefer caves and mountains to forests because it was easier to hide, but this one was clearly doing a fine job of hiding in the middle of a forest.
"Hello?" Freisae called, catching a golden glint in the midday sun. It was about a quarter of a mile away, but dragons usually had pretty good hearing. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Ren lifted his head, drawn from his sunbasking nap by the stranger's voice. A human?
He snorted and shifted his bulk slightly, scales glittering in the light. A quarter mile off by the scent, maybe a little less. "Hurt me?" His voice rumbled through the air like soft thunder. "Child, I don't think you're capable."
Child? Freisae thought, immediately insulted. Spending so much time with dragons, she found that her pride had grown significantly. Either way, she also knew that she was dealing with a dragon, so she had to keep her wits about her.
"There's a rumor," she started, picking up her pace in that direction. She saw him raise his head, so she knew she had been right. "People have spoken of you. They say you haven't left the forest in a long time, so I've come to make sure you are in good health? My name is Freisae. To whom do I speak?"
"You may have that information when you've earned it." His lip curled back in the beginnings of a snarl. He snorted and rolled his eyes, dropping his head down to his folded paws. "Who gave you the wherewithal to come ask dragons after their health, hm?"
"I did," Freisae said, folding her arms and standing her ground. She was unaffected by the dragon's slight snarl, and she wasn't afraid to show it. "I'm of dragon blood, and I give life to them. I have my own personal dragon army, all of whom are fiercely loyal to me."
The girl smirked: she loved saying that out loud. No matter how many times the words crossed her lips, she would never lose the pride it gave her.
Freisae shrugged. "I have proof. One of my dragons is right on the border of the forest, if you want someone to verify my qualifications." That last comment was a bit sarcastic, but genuinely true.
Ren hissed and shifted his bulk, spreading his wings as far as the cramped forest glen would allow. "Watch your tongue, girl," he spat. "You speak of creatures of fire and magic, older than the entirety of your pathetic race. Dragon-blooded or not, mind how you speak to our kind."
A personal dragon army, loyal to a single girl? The thought was enraging.
With a huff, he turned his back on her and settled down again, tail flicking in agitation. "Go back to your pet dragon, and leave me be."
Freisae simply smiled, surprised at herself that she wasn't the least bit rattled. On the other hand, a deafening cry rang out. An absolutely massive figure rose into the sky as black as a starless night.
"She has no 'pet dragon'," his powerful voice echoed.
The girl pursed her lips, not looking at the dragon flying above them. "I don't have a temper," she said, "but he does. I don't want a fight to break out, so he'll stand down on my command, but I'm not leaving. You might not be physically ill or injured, but something tells me you aren't okay." She crouched down with her elbows on her knees and fingers intertwined. "If you tell me what's wrong, I might be able to help."
The golden dragon eyed the black drake with no small amount of derision. Chained to a human, pathetic. Bonds of steel or bonds of love, they were all the same to him- a prison.
"I don't particularly care if you think I'm not okay," he snarled at the girl, pitching his voice in a twisted mockery of hers. When would these two-legged pests learn to leave him alone? "I do not want or require your assistance."
He glanced at the other dragon again. He wasn't exactly itching for a battle with another drake, so flat-out eating the girl seemed to be out of the question. He hefted himself to his feet and curled his lip in a warning snarl. "You brought your friend into my territory, child. Collect him and leave."
Rather abruptly, the foliage at the edge of the glen started to rustle, then burst apart as a snarling half-dragon came racing toward his gilded elder.
"I saw the other drake, what's happening?" Karyn suddenly drew up short as he saw the incredibly human woman addressing his father. The snarl fell from his face, replaced with shocked embarrassment. "Oh, um, well. Hello?"
He looked from Ren to the stranger. Something about her was...off. No, not off, right. She was human, that was easy enough to tell, but she also seemed...maybe a little bit more than that. "Ah- who's this?"
As the golden dragon rose, Freisae kept her place in a crouch, only her eyes following the dragon's movements. Any sudden movements or actions quickly following the dragon's could indicate weakness, and that was the last thing Freisae wanted to show.
Fortunately - or unfortunately - they were interrupted before the golden dragon really had a chance to make some sort of move against her.
At the appearance of another being, Freisae quickly rose to her feet with wide eyes. Clearly half dragon, probably related to the dragon she was having a one-sided conversation with. Glaring upward, she pulled her hair out of her face. "You didn't warn me anyone else was coming!"
"I didn't see them," Baylrys said, still hovering. The girl rolled her eyes at the dragon's sarcastic response.
She faced the newcomer, eyes looking him over to assess just what threat he posed. "My name's Freisae. Call me Kait. And you are?"
Ren snorted. "She's a nuisance, is what she is." He flopped down with a huff, making the earth shudder. "Make her leave."
He folded his paws and laid his head on them, closing his eyes deliberately.
Karyn sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. His cheeks darkened a bit as he shot the gold dragon an annoyed look. "I'm, uh, sorry about him," he mumbled, turning his attention back to Freisae."
He shifted from foot to foot, then awkwardly thrust out a hand. "Karyn. I'm, ah...Ren's son. What...exactly are you doing out here?" His eyes flicked up to the dark dragon hovering above them warily.
She followed his gaze to the figure still above and let out a small chuckle. "Rys!" She called. "Relax! I've got it covered!" The dragon circled around and started flying back to where he was originally.
Freisae shrugged at Karyn, glancing over to his father who had curled in a ball to ignore her.
"Nice 'meet the parents' date, huh?" She joked. "I just got notice of a dragon, your dad, who was holed away in these woods. Normally, the forest is too open for a dragon of his size, so I came to make sure everything was okay. I'm something of a drag-"
THUD!
"Fuck!" Freisae shouted, turning on her heel. She waved her arm to Karyn, encouraging him to follow her as she sprinted in the direction of the noise. "That was Baylrys," she explained to the man. "I forgot he can't fly or land without me. Fucking moron was showing off." Suddenly realizing how strange that must've sounded, she continued. "He's blind."
Karyn's cheeks flushed as red as his scales and he coughed, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. He knew she was joking, but the situation was just...so awkward. "W-well, I wouldn't say-"
Before he could get anything else out there was a massive crash and he looked in the direction of the sound, eyes going wide. "What the hell?"
Then Freisae was running and he found himself chasing after her, calling back to his father, "Stay put, I'll be right back!"
Ren snorted and grumbled to himself. "Stay put. Where's the young idiot think I'm going. Damned uppity lass and her foolish drake..." His voice faded away behind them as they left the glade.
Freisae ran into a new clearing, seeing the mess of flattened and uprooted trees underneath the large body of her friend. He was licking one of the joints on his right wing, and the woman turned around briefly, groaning and pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You asshole," she said, looking at him.
"I was helping you," he grumbled.
She scoffed. "Don't give me that tone. You brought this on yourself, so I don't need you bitching the whole way home." She saw Karyn join her and smirked. "Rys, this is Karyn. He's Ren's son. Karyn, this is Baylrys. He's my best friend."
The dragon simply snorted in response, and the woman shook her head. She approached and placed her hand on the dragon's wing, a white light surrounding her hand and healing the dragon's injury.
"Uh, Karyn, what's wrong with your father?" She asked, glow still surrounding her hands. "Not to seem insensitive or anything. I've just never encountered a dragon that was so hostile towards me. He seems like he's really in a slump."
Karyn winced as he looked the dragon over. "Sorry, brother," he muttered. He'd had his fair share of rocky landings- they were never fun.
When Friesae spoke again he snapped his attention to her, then sighed. "He's...a little depressed." He frowned. "He's also just a Class A grouch, and doesn't take kindly to people younger than he is telling him what to do."
He shrugged and sighed again, running a hand through his hair. His tail flicked back and forth almost uncomfortably. "I'm sorry if we're...intruding in some way. I didn't think there were any dragons around, so I figured he could claim a patch of territory- but if you want us out I can probably convince him."
"No!" Freisae said quickly. "Not at all. My territory is a little south of here. If you need a place to stay, there's plenty of room. I have a job-"
"So, I'm a job to you," Baylrys sneered.
She whipped her head around to glare at him. "Enough! Don't pull this shit! You know what I meant!" Sighing, Freisae turned back to Karyn. "As I was saying... I make a hobby of finding hurt or lost drakes and bringing them back to life, so to speak."
"Except Saipior," Baylrys chimed in again.
"I'm going to sell him to the butchers if he doesn't shut up." She finished healing Baylrys, who stood.
In the sky, his size was impressive: on the ground, it was almost unbelievable. Simply standing, he was about 150 feet at the shoulders. Even for Freisae, who had been around dragons for years, he simply made her feel dwarfed. He spread his 400-foot wings, shaking briefly like a pup who was fresh out of the bath.
The woman smirked at Karyn. "He's the biggest of my army." There was no real reason to say it, but the dragon in her had an ego that she had to satisfy every so often. "So, why's he depressed? If you don't mind me asking..."
Army.
Well that didn't sound good.
Karyn took a wary step back, eyes flicking from the girl to the massive drake. "I'm- I'm not sure I should tell you that," he mumbled awkwardly. "He'd probably be pissed..."
He cleared his throat and glanced back in the direction of the glade they'd left behind, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.
The woman scrunched her nose. "I just completely unnerved you, didn't I?" She said apologetically. "Look, I call them my army because anything else just makes them seem like they belong to me. They stay with me out of mutual loyalty and respect. I'm not planning an invasion or anything."
Freisae released a chuckle. If she wanted to, she could probably run a successful invasion on a weaker place, but that didn't remotely interest her.
"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine." She shrugged lightheartedly. "I might be able to help, though. Dragons are kind of my specialty, after all."
Karyn was starting to get why his father had been annoyed with this girl. She seemed to mean well, and obviously her dragon friends trusted her, but she had a sort of...arrogance about her relationship to the draconic that was beginning to rub him the wrong way.
He narrowed his eyes and pointed out coolly, "Dragons are also dragons' specialty." He gestured to himself with a quirked eyebrow, flaring his wings slightly for emphasis. "I am, you may have noticed, half dragon."
With another frustrated sigh he looked away, pursing his lips. "Look, I'm sure you're just trying to be helpful, but this is- well it's sort of a family matter. I think. Anyway, I'm not so sure he'd be thrilled with the idea of you getting involved."
"Frei," Baylrys huffed, lying down with his hands folded in front of him, "let's go home. They obviously don't want our help."
The woman was thoroughly peeved at that point. She understood that some things were private, but she didn't like that Karyn seemed to brush away her own connection to the drakes. Freisae had grown up her entire life being laughed at for believing she was a descendant of the beasts. Now that she actually had that confirmed, she was immediately defensive towards anyone who belittled that bond.
"Rys, hang on," she said, furrowing her brows. "Karyn, I'm not trying to butt in, but please don't act like your specialty regarding dragons is any more significant than mine is. I may not be half-dragon, but I do have dragon blood. I've devoted my entire life to rescuing and rehabilitating dragons. I know the way a dragon's mind works better than telepaths know how a human's does. I don't care if you want to keep it to yourself, but don't think you're better than I am just because you look the part more."
Oh hell no.
Karyn frowned at her, his shy bumbling falling away in the wake of pure irritation. "Do you even hear yourself? Really, you think this is a good thing?!" He gestured to himself again, scales and tail and sharp claws. "You think I'm trying to say that this makes me better than you?"
He laughed, entirely mirthless. "Look, I'm not gonna pretend to know your life, but don't you dare pretend to know mine." With a soft scoff, he added, "And for the record, saying things like dragons are your specialty is probably why you pissed my dad off. They're people, Miss Freisae. Maybe it's not how you mean it, but talking like you do...you make them seem like animals."
Made him seem like an animals. And he'd gotten enough of that in his years of wandering.
"I would kill to have what you have," she said in a shockingly soft voice. Coming from a clearly human girl with almost supernaturally gorgeous looks, that would sound ludicrous, but it was true. "At least people would take you seriously! I'm not saying that your life hasn't been hard because I don't know you, but people see me and think I'm talking out of my ass."
His laugh was even more insulting. She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head, glancing at the ground momentarily. "I say dragons are my specialty in the same a psychologist would say that humans are his specialty! I pissed your dad off because he would want me to bow down to a superior species! 'Mind how you speak to our kind,' I believe were his exact words. Oh! And I can't omit him calling humans a 'pathetic race,' now can I?"
She clenched her jaw and shook her head. "Maybe he has his own issues and is taking it out on the pathetic human who came to help him. I know dragons aren't animals. My best friends are dragons. The only human I associate with is a damn madman who only socialized with dragons. If I didn't think they were people, why would I have dedicated every waking second to making sure they have the best life possible?"
Damn straight it was a rant, but it was one she needed to say. Probably needed to say it for years...
He raised his hands, snorting under his breath. "Look- whatever. I'm sure you're on this grand quest to prove just how special you are, and far be it from me to tell you otherwise."
All of the anger seemed to leave him at once and his shoulders slumped tiredly. "I'll try to convince my father to give you and your- your family some space, alright? Sorry if he was rude." Tail hanging rather dejectedly, he sort of shuffled back a step and glanced back toward the glade.
Her pride was injured, but she felt a pang of guilt. Whatever, she thought. Let him do whatever he wants. Not my problem.
That large piece of her that was a child passionate healer seemed to weigh her feet down like a bog. Freisae squeezed her eyes shut. "Karyn, wait," she said, pursing her lips. She forced her lips to form the sounds. "I'm sorry. Look, I get touchy with this stuff, but it's not an excuse to take it out on you...or your father. I do want to help, if you'll accept it. If not, I understand, but my doors are always open if you change your mind. Or if you...just want to come by for a visit."
Karyn looked her up and down warily. "How exactly would you...help?"
He honestly didn't know what to do about his father, at this point he was willing to try anything.
Freisae thought for a moment, then gave him a shrug and a half-hearted smile. "Well, it's kind of hard to come up with a way to help when I don't know what the problem is..."
She knew that he probably wouldn't tell her, but what other option was there. He clearly was at least slightly open to the offer, but she prepared herself to be shot down again.
"He's..." Karyn growled, frustrated, and dragged a hand down his face. "His...he has this...gods."
With a huff, he let his shoulders slump and muttered, "He more or less got kicked out of his lover's bed, and he's been moping about it for the better part of two decades."
The woman stifled a laugh by quickly throwing her hand up to cover her mouth. The idea that the dragon could be so...humanly sensitive was unbelievable and pretty hilarious.
"Okay..." She started cautiously. Freisae knew that Karyn had taken a pretty long leap to open that for her, so she didn't want to insult him by mocking it. At the same time, there were so many things to joke about. "So, what happened? And please, leave out the details."
Karyn sighed again, his cheeks flushing as she obviously fought back laughter. He rubbed at the back of his neck and resisted the urge to pout, glaring at the ground.
"It's...to be fair, I don't know all the details," he sighed. "I know- I know he really loved her. But she didn't..." He huffed. "She didn't know what he was, I think. She was Connlaothian. When she found out- she told him she never wanted to see him again."
Of course she was Connlaothian, Freisae said, her grin replaced with a slight frown. She didn't understand what Connlaoth had against magic, especially dragons. They were incredible creatures, and she saw Connlaoth as a stubborn child digging in its heels when it came to magic.
"So, what happened? I understand what it's like to have a rejected love, but it normally doesn't sit with someone like this for two decades... Surely, there's something more you're not telling me?"
"Well, dragons can hold grudges for a long time- a broke heart even longer," Karyn pointed out quietly. Then he sighed again and chewed at his lower lip. "But I think it's the girl, really," he admitted at last. "He- he swore that, after me, he wouldn't have anymore half-blood children. He didn't even want me. But then Brigid had a girl, and..."
Freisae's eyes widened, and she nearly choked on the air she was breathing. "He conceived a child with a Connlaothian woman?" She said, as though trying to understand what she had just heard. "Are you..."
Her voice trailed off, and Freisae momentarily turned her back to Karyn with her hand over her mouth in thought. "This is why I'm glad not to have a human form," the black dragon grumbled slightly impatiently.
The girl dropped her hand to her side. "If you don't have anything helpful to say, don't chime in." The way that she and the dragon spoke to each other would probably be shocking to most, but their relationship was stronger than any Adelan Dragonrider team, so she knew there was no risk on either end. Turning back to Karyn, she took a deep breath. "Does he know his daughter at all?"
The half dragon shuffled his feet awkwardly, feeling like he was betraying his father's trust. But he didn't know what else to do! It had been nearly twenty years of this.
"No," he murmured, shaking his head. "She...she was born like me. Scales, tail, wings...her mother panicked, I think. Da- Renkaryn won't talk about it much, but it seems like she just...threw him out. He never went back."
Freisae furrowed her brows. "Wait, so she looks like you do, but she's still living in Connlaoth?" This just kept getting more and more insane. "Twenty years... She's an adult by now! Why doesn't he go and find her?"
Karyn spread his hands wide and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know if she's even still alive, her or the mother!"
He sighed, shoulder slumping forward. "I think that's why he doesn't go. Every time I try to mention it, he just says that Brigid doesn't want to see him, and he'll respect that... But I think he's afraid he's lost them."
"Well, what do you know about her? Other than what you've told me." Freisae didn't know what she would do with the information, but maybe more information will make it easier to help them find something out. "I know I'm prying, but maybe knowing will help him move on, either way."
Karyn shook his head helplessly. "I don't know anything. He told me her name, and that was it. I don't even know my sis- the girl's name," he sighed.
Freisae smiled softly. "You can call her your sister, Karyn," she said. "She's your blood, whether you know her or not."
He shook his head. "Family isn't just blood. It's...who's there for you." He shrugged. "I've never been there for her." Regardless of whether he'd wanted to be or not.
"True, but there are exceptions to every rule," Freisae said, taking a step towards him. "You've never even had the chance to be there for her. I'm sure there's not any one solid rule for those circumstances."
They were treading dangerously close to "feelings" territory- his own rather than his father's- and Karyn backpedaled quickly. "Yeah, well...it is what it is I guess." He cleared his throat. "So look, I'm not sure exactly how you think you can help, but if you've got any ideas I'm all ears."
A dangerously confident smirk tugged at the girl's lips. "Well, feel free to turn it down, but if she can blend in Connlaoth, I think you probably could too." She locked eyes with him, hoping he understood what she was implying, but knowing that dragons tended to be thick-skulled.
"Whoa, hey." He raised his hands and backed up a step, shaking his head. "L-look, even if I could...I can't just leave Da. He'd be so pissed, and he's already felt like his family's abandoned him, I just couldn't..."
Freisae pursed her lips, looking past Karyn in the direction where Ren was lounging. He was out of sight, but she felt that he was still in that general area.
"Does he have a human form?" She asked.
"Not all dragons-" Baylrys started.
"I know not all dragons do," the girl interrupted, snapping her head around. "Some do though, now hush." Freisae sighed, looking back at Karyn. "So?"
Karyn raised one eyebrow slowly. "Uh...how else would he have half-dragon children?" Almost instantly he screwed his face up and covered his ears. "Scratch that, I don't want to think about it. And look, I already told you Brigid didn't even know he was a dragon. 'Course he has an avatar."
More than one. Much more than one. Though he saw no need to bring that up just yet.
Alright, she thought, glancing to the side briefly, that probably was a stupid question.
The girl shrugged with a smirk. "So, if he can appear as a human, why not ask him to come?" She asked. "I know it would be a long shot, but it would be a chance to meet his daughter..."
The half-dragon sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck again. It seemed to be a nervous habit. "I mean...I can ask...but I don't think he'll agree to it," he mumbled dejectedly.
"Well, do you have a better idea?" Freisae asked him, hands finding their way to her hips with a shrug. "Or do you want him to just keep moping for a few thousand more years?"
Karyn blushed, looked away, looked back, opened his mouth, closed it again-- and sighed.
"We could, um..." He licked his lips a little nervously. "We could...try to find her? And...bring her...here?"
Freisae lifted her brows, the corners of her mouth turned downward, not in upset, but rather in brief contemplation. It was a thought. It would probably easier to travel as two than three anyway, so perhaps that was the smarter way to go.
"Okay," she said. "Let's go find your sister! Would you like to tell your dad? Or would he put up too much of a fight for you to stay?"
"Ah..." Once again Karyn hedged, debating, then he smiled a little tightly and nodded. "Let's just go."
Freisae smiled, nodding once. "Well, then, we should probably get a move on. Wouldn't want your dad upset for too long!"
"Are you forgetting me?" Baylrys asked, almost sounding dumbfounded. "I can't stroll into Connlaoth unnoticed."
"Of course not," she said. "You'll wait outside the border. We shouldn't take too long, and you just need to stay out of trouble. It'll be fine, Rys. You trust me, right?" He just groaned, which made Freisae chuckle, walking towards the large dragon. She looked at Karyn with a smile. "Are you riding with me?"
Karyn blinked, hesitated, then smiled and shook his head. He let his wings unfurl as he followed. "Nah. I'll do fine on my own."
((End?))