Silent Night (Kyuu)

[Anonymous]

Night fell at the mountains' edge, the last of the sun's rays peeking up over the horizon to light the sky in rich hues of orange and red. The evening light tinged everything sepia, washing over the landscape even as it retreated for the day, giving up once again to the darkness. A small cave among the rocks was one of the first places it surrendered, and its absence was noticed. Deep within, where the sun never reached, a slender figure stirred and began to glow with its own soft light. A faint hum followed soon after as a pair of velvety brown wings unfolded, testing the still air. Awake now, the creature's round silver head moved and he scanned the cave with huge dark eyes and long feathered antennae. Safe.

His long tail unfurled and released its grip on the stalactite and he dropped, beating his wings just before he reached the ground to glide gracefully out into the night. There was still an hour or so before the moon would rise, but when it did it would be full, and he could feed. Until then, what else was a child to do but play?

[CastlesInTheSky]

Lost.
No, not even lost.
Hopelessly baffled.
All Adrian could do was scan the area around himself with a gaping mouth. Where was the snow? The houses? The people? All he could see around himself was darkness, and green. He looked at the ground and hopped up, making a startled noise. He had never seen tiny, thin plants like that. Growing from the ground. He rarely even saw plants where he came from. It was too cold. He glanced around himself, the heavy fur coat draped around his shoulders. A squirrel scurried up a tree. He stared at it, confused. There weren't those type of animals where he was from. The type of animals where he came from were much more....creepy. He sat down again, burying his face in his hands for a moment. What had he done? Was it even his fault? Most importantly, where was he?

[Anonymous]

The little dragon had found more than enough to entertain himself, and was currently pursuing a bat around the forest with a single-minded goal of making friends with the flappy squeaky thing. The bat, however, was more concerned with the fact that it was being chased by something that looked like a cross between the moon and dinner, which was sort of worrying. The two of them darted through the trees, easily dodging branches, until the dragon got distracted and allowed the bat to escape.

Movement, down on the ground! Maybe here was a friend who wouldn't run away. The dragon looped back around a tree and headed for the figure. It was big and furry and dark, and all curled up like maybe it was hurt. He came to a sudden halt about a foot away and hovered there, the ever-present hum growing to a shrill whine as his wings worked to keep him up. Whatever this thing was, it really didn't look happy. He cocked his head and sent out a brief wave of warm, safe feelings, to let it know that everything would be all right. Hopefully that would help, and then they could play together!

[CastlesInTheSky]

Adrian suddenly heard something approaching, and stop a little ways from him. Whatever it was, it made a little noise. He didn't look up until something came into his head, a strange feeling. It seemed warm, safe. He looked up, confused, and saw what he supposed had communicated with him. He looked a bit started at first, but then relaxed a bit. It didn't seem...harmful. Just a bit strange, like everything else. Adrian tilted his head to the side a little. It vaguely resebled many creatures, but....it was confusing, in the least. He said, in his native tongue, "And what are you, little creature?"

[Anonymous]

The little dragon bobbed from side to side excitedly when the creature looked up at him. Its face wasn't as furry as the rest of it, which was funny, and then it made some noises, which were even more funny! Oh! Maybe this was the same kind of animal he had seen before, walking around all tall on their hind legs and making strange noises at each other. He supposed they were trying to communicate, and had learnt some of what it meant, but this one didn't sound much like the others. Still, there was the slight change in pitch at the end that usually meant they wanted to know something, so...

Maybe he should introduce himself. He turned a happy somersault in the air and sent out a couple of bursts of thought, the delicate grey shade that was both his name and skin colour. That was out of the way now, and since the creature seemed a bit happier now that he was there, maybe they could be friends? He darted backwards a short distance and waited expectantly, hoping to be followed.

[CastlesInTheSky]

((I'm sorry for the delay! D: I didn't realize you had posted. *oblivious*

Adrian watched the little creature, a bit fascinated. He watched as his new companion did flips in the air happily. Once again, a strange sensation came to his mind as a shade of grey appeared within it. He was a bit confused. He studied the little dragon, then realized it was the colour of his skin. Maybe that was his way of introducing himself. Perhaps the little creature could understand him. He didn't know, but it was better than sitting around feeling sorry for himself. After all, in his other world, creatures were to be respected just as man. Suddenly, the creature darted away, still looking at him. At first, he wasn't sure what it wanted. He got up and walked over to it slowly, wondering what was to happen next.

[Anonymous]

((Haha, don't worry about it XD 3 days is nothing))

The dragon bobbed excitedly in the air again when the creature stood and followed him. Now that it was up, he could see that this definitely was one of the two-legged things it had seen before, and an especially fluffy one at that! They all had such different fur and scales, and it was so interesting to look at. Some of them even seemed able to change theirs, which was amazing. It did make them hard to tell apart, though...

But no worries! The big furry one would be easy to spot, even if they found some more somewhere. This one was... Male, he guessed, from its size and the type of noises it made. He wasn't totally sure, but it didn't matter much anyway. What was important was that he'd been followed, which meant they were friends! He sent a joyful telepathic burst and raced off to hide behind a tree, peeking out at the man. They were going to have so. Much. Fun!

[CastlesInTheSky]

Adrian blinked in surprise as the dragon creature became excited again. It seemed delighted to see him, which confused him a bit. He didn't understand what it wanted still, but it didn't seem dangerous. He wondered if creatures like these were common. Perhaps, perhaps not. Things were strange here. However, somehow, this little creature had improved his time.

He was now expecting the little things to come in his mind from this animal. He watched it rush off and hide behind a tree. He glanced behind him, then looked at the little animal again. He jogged over to the tree, having not much else to do but follow the little dragon.

[Anonymous]

As the man came towards him, the small dragon flitted playfully further around the tree, sneaking around behind when he stopped and glowing more strongly to reveal himself. He was too loud and bright to be very good at hiding and it was obvious where he was, but it was still loads of fun!

Then, suddenly, he cocked his head towards the sky. A soft light was beginning to filter through the trees, cutting the evening gloom. It was the moon. The moon! The moon was out! He bounced happily and rocketed upwards before remembering that the funny two-legged creatures mostly couldn't fly. They'd have to go back out to open ground if they both wanted to bathe in the moonlight, but that was all right. It wasn't too far, and the trees weren't so dense that they'd be missing out much on the way.

He sank back down to the man's level, then started flying off towards where he knew some small stony fields were, sending out an image of a round white shape in darkness to explain. The humans seemed not to pay enough attention to the moon, as if they didn't know how important it really was. He was happy to teach them, though! As he flew, the dragon kept changing speed in his attempt to let the man keep up, despite his eagerness to feed. It was a full moon, too! He'd eat well tonight!

[CastlesInTheSky]

Where Adrian was from, there wasn't such thing as a 'clear night'. It was, quite literally, always overcast. He watched as the small creature flew down to him and supposed he should follow it again. He was still not sure what was going on, but it was interesting. This little creature was the first thing that had attempted to communicate with him. It was friendly to him, so he was enjoying its company. The image that formed in his mind suddenly resembled the one in the sky. He supposed that's what it was looking for. He didn't think there was much else it could be referring to. He looked up at the moon when it was visible in the open fields. What a strange thing to see above in the sky. He tilted his head a little. Very strange indeed.

[Anonymous]

Happy! Joy! Two more flashes of emotion were sent to the little dragon's new friend when they emerged from the trees, flooded with precious moonlight. It was so bright and wonderful! With all of this, he'd be able to go to all sorts of exciting new places! Oh, but he probably wouldn't be able to take the man with him, would he? Well, that was okay, he could just use all that energy for playing instead, which was a much better idea anyway. He did a backflip, then slowed to a lazy hover in the air, humming contentedly and pulsing softly with his own pale glow.

This had to be good for his friend too, right? The man hadn't seemed very perky at all curled up by that tree, but with some nutritious moonlight inside him, he'd be sure to be the best company a dragon could wish for.

[CastlesInTheSky]

Adrian looked around himself, carefully advancing into the field. The dragon did seem to like the thing in the sky, flying around happily. He felt the emotions come into his head. He walked into the middle of the clearing and sat down on a flat rock, looking up at the moon curiously. Perhaps it was a source of energy for creatures here. He looked at the stars, also. Bright dots making interesting shapes. He wondered how many there were. How many stars? A thousand? More. Too many to count. He wondered what the little creature thought about them. Ah, he probably didn't care about those. Only the brightest thing mattered. He smiled a tiny bit.

[Anonymous]

It didn't take long in the bright moonlight to sate the little dragon's hunger, and soon he jerked out of his peaceful trance and began to zip around cheerfully like before. He didn't know how long the man would need to sit there before he was ready to play, but it didn't hurt to check! He span around and flew over to him to give a gentle headbutt, smearing silver dust onto the man's dark, furry shoulder. Just in case that bit of pestering didn't get the message across, he sent out the buzzing feeling he got when he was filled with energy, mixed in with the quiet uncertainty that marked a psychic question. He hoped the man wasn't hungry any more, he really did!

[CastlesInTheSky]

Adrian watched the dragon fly around, happy. Then, the dragon flew to him and nudged him, sending a burst of an energetic sort of feeling into his mind. He wondered what the creature was asking. He supposed that it meant if he was feeling energetic, perhaps? He wasn't particularly buzzing with energy before, but he was doing better now. Perhaps it was the fact that he had someone, or something, to focus on besides being lost. He nodded, wondering what would happen next.

[Anonymous]

The dragon bobbed uncertainly, not sure what to make of the man's reaction. The two-legged creatures seemed to make a lot of head movements at each other, and he'd never been able to figure out if they meant something and, if so, what that meaning was. Did it mean he was ready to play? Or was he still feeding? They were so confusing, without telepathy to communicate with. Sometimes he wondered how they managed.

Backing slowly away, he came to a realisation. These people seemed to be social types from what he'd seen of them – sort of like his species, despite their differences. Maybe the man would like some of his own kind, that he could talk to with those funny noises they all liked so much. The little reptile didn't know exactly where they might be found, but he knew what their nests looked like! He could protect the man while they searched for one, and they'd get to play too! It'd be dangerous away from his cave, where he might not be able to hide from the horribly bright sun and its tiring light, but it'd be fun as well.

Suddenly he darted across the meadow, turning back to the man when he reached the edge. He tried to tell him where they were going, sending a blurry image of what he remembered the nest he'd seen to look like – a crude facsimile of a town, blobs of brown and grey rising from green fields and populated by hundreds of, well, the only person he could remember the appearance of was this one so they were all him. Hopefully that would get the point across?

[CastlesInTheSky]

Adrian's gaze shifted away from the little dragon in a moment, once again intrigued by the glowing sphere in the sky. It was a lovely thing, indeed. It sure made sense that the little creature liked it. He glanced back at his companion, who was looking a bit confused in its own way. Suddenly, the little creature zoomed off, turning back. Adrian, confused, could only wait and see what it wanted him to do. In his mind, an image formed. At first he couldn't recognize what it was. Some sort of...structure? With a bunch of people in it? Then, everything came to him at once.

People. This little guy was going to show him where people were.

He nodded, saying something of approval in his language to his new friend. Then he jogged towards him, waiting for where to go next.

[Anonymous]

So they had a plan now, and that was great, but what about the specifics? The dragon faltered for a moment, not quite sure in which direction the people would be easier to find. Far north of here where it was cold and white he'd seen a couple of furry people just like the man, but all those mountains were in the way. They wouldn't be a problem for him, since he could fly, but his earthbound companion might have some trouble with them so that was out. It was all right though. There were plenty of people to the south too, hundreds of them even if their coverings were different, and it was easier going. And warm! It had always been warm at home so that was his favourite.

The dragon bobbed up and down a couple of times then zipped off to the south, away from the hills, away from his cave and eventually away from the cover of the forest. For now, he darted and weaved between branches with expert precision, playing chase again only this time as the 'prey'. It was fun! He didn't need to pay attention to anything but the trees and the man following him. The woods had been quiet for the few days he'd been here, and he hadn't seen any large dangerous animals at all, so the only thing he had to think about was his game. What a perfect life for a little dragon!