Veraxitoc flew high above the mountains, holding Methusela in his arms.
"You ready to learn to fly? It will be a quick and easy lesson. You know what you're doing?" Veraxitoc shouted to Methusela. The wind was rushing past and the conditions were good, clear sky.
"Um, no, I'm not Uncle Ver..." The young dragon was gripping Veraxitoc nervously. Claws were digging in.
"Nonsense, you'll be fine Methusela. Now, on the count of three." Veraxitoc lined himself up over the valley.
"Threetwoone GO!" Veraxitoc dropped the boy, and instinctively caught the wind. For a good distance, the boy glided shouting screams of mixed joy and fear. Veraxitoc landed by a lake and beckoned for Methusela to join him. He came in and landed roughly.
"I hate you for dropping me like that. Never again will I trust you. I am so glad I can fly now." Methusela blew a small flame at Veraxitoc, who laughed.
"You scream like a girl..." Methusela turned and pounced, and Veraxitoc rolled over in playful enjoyment, the two playfighting. The stretch of mountain was full of life.
Suddenly Methusela stopped, and began pointing. Veraxitoc got up.
"Show yourself, and that you mean no harm..."
For some reason, things always went wrong for Khanna. First a run-in with the slavers hunting her, then she almost got caught stealing an apple... But, guess what, the day was far from over, and things still weren't looking any brighter. She tried to go around them, but it was a stupid idea. Like you could hide from a dragon, or two of them. She gripped her daggers beneath her cloak and slowly raised her head from a nearby rock. She wasn't going to attack, but she surely won't stand there and wait for them to attack either.
"I am just passing through," she said with a relaxed tone "No evil intentions here."
She shrugged and gave a cocky smile. Khanna wasn't feeling cocky at all. Yeah, the day just couldn't get any better. She looked behind her praying that the slavers lost her track by now, or she would find herself in a very hard situation.
"Let's just avoid hurting and continue our ways." she said in a cheerful manner still gripping the daggers beneath her cloak.
"We're more than friendly, don't worry. Why are you in such a rush? Not fond of dragons? Not even my young friend here?" Methusela stepped forward with his head tilted. The young dragon bowed his head in friendly gesture and Veraxitoc copied.
"You can stop holding the daggers, I'm smarter than I look." Being as small as he was, Methusela could notice the smaller details about the world. Like when people had their hands on daggers.
"I would just leave the daggers where they are and take your hands out of your cloak. Your hood can go down too." Methusela was doing the talking for one simple reason. It was in his nature.
She slowly released the grip, unsure of her actions. She also took her cloak off, revealing her face. Her fire red hair was tied in a bun, few of her wavy streaks flowed around her. She defensively crossed her arms and eyed them both with her emerald gaze.
"I don't have any problems with dragons," she said.
"Humans on the other hand..." she murmured more quietly.
She couldn't hear the slavers and only hoped they missed her trace.
"Well stay and talk. We're interested in making friends. My name's Veraxitoc, and this is Methusela." Methusela was ticking his tail from side to side in friendly interest. He took several cautious steps forward, then laid down.
"Hello."
"Yeah, sure..." she cocked her head, thinking.
She took a few steps forward slowly, resting her back on a big stone near her.
"My name is Khanna." her body not so much tense anymore, looking at Methusela and Veraxitoc, with interest in her eyes.
"Nice to meet you Khanna." Methusela said, his voice sincere. Then he suddenly stood and pointed again, this time growling.
"I smell them too Methusela... What friends did you bring along Khanna?" Veraxitoc stood and set himself to fight.
She cursed under her breath. They caught up to her, even after all those hours she spent covering up her tracks.
"I wouldn't call them friends.." she said sarcastically, preparing herself.
"There is no need for you to get tangled in this" she told them, removing the cloak from her shoulders and taking her daggers in her hands.
"I just need to settle a few scores and run away. Simple enough." she murmured.
"Call it a favour. No-one in their right mind will mess with me." Veraxitoc growled and stood to full height. Methusela also started growling.
"No-one hurts my friends..."
She thought for a second. It would be crazy facing dozens of trained slavers alone.
"I don't like owing people favours..." she said with a cocky gleam in her eyes "But I never owed a favour to dragons."
She knew it is madness to refuse their offer... Perhaps she won't.
"We can get you away from them. You can choose somewhere to go and we will take you." As soon as Veraxitoc said it, the slavers came out of the bushes, met by two dragons.
"Hello..." Methusela growled.
((OOC: You can control the slavers))
"Too late now." she slipped into battle with ease. Knocking down one of the slavers by breaking his leg in a swift move. He fell down, with a cry.
"Perhaps it would be best to fly me off somewhere.. Near a city?" she asked again with a smile.
Two more slavers jumped from an ambush, cornering her. Withe their large swords and giant armor they weren't fast enough. Khanna slit her dagger in the armor weak spot. It was a painful wound but not deadly. The slaver was distracted by the pain and that gave her the chance to knock him out cold.
The other slaver was trying -unsuccessfully- to attack Methusela.
Methusela knew exactly what he was doing with the human. Torching it alive while ragging it. He clamped the slaver between his jaws and shook him violently, thrashing the human from side to side. Bones rended and snapped, internal organs were ripped in two. Methusela had clear tongues of flame coming off the human as he dropped him, dead.
"LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!!" Methusela shouted at the slaver about to attack Khanna, pouncing on him and crushing his skull in his jaws.
Three slavers had gone for Veraxitoc. They had all magically disappeared down Veraxitoc's gullet, torched alive and literally melting as they went down.
Wide-eyed she smiled.
"Way to go... I should befriend dragons more often." she said and finished off a slaver on the ground.
"Shall we leave before more of them comes?" she asked, crouching near a slaver. She picked up his money bag and some of his belongings. Khanna slowly murmured few words, awakening her elemental magic and incinerating the body into ashes. She left no clues.
"Yes. Where do you want us to take you?" Methusela torched the bodies that he hadn't already destroyed, and stood by Veraxitoc.
"I'm big enough to ride. She can fly with me." Nightspinners were odd in that they only needed to learn to fly once. The instinct was there, but innate until activated.
She bit her lip. Even thou she was Adelan, she didn't know the country. She just used it to flee from her former masters.
"The capital." she said.
There was no better way to escape the slavers than to blend in a crowd. A big enough crowd, and she will become invisible, they won't be able to track her down. She'll change her name, meet friends, make a new home...
"Yes, could you help me to get to the capital?" she finally asked.
"Ketra? Very well. To Ketra we fly." Veraxitoc beckoned to Methusela.
Methusela lied down, on his stomach, and Veraxitoc shifted form. He walked round Methusela and offered to give Khanna a boost up, knowing it would be difficult without one.
"Climb on and we'll get going."
She accepted his help and climbed on. It was strange seeing someone change form so easily. She shifted her daggers on her back.
"Um, I suppose I should thank you." she said frowning. "It's not like you had to help me... But you did. I appreciate that."
She wasn't sure how that sounded because she didn't have the tendency to thank people -dragons- or anyone.
"Just remember the favour. We could use one. When you get to Ketra, spread the word, some dragons are helpful, and peaceful. If the word can get up to the Adelan politicians, maybe we can establish some form of peace." Veraxitoc stepped back and shifted form, and began to walk in the direction he needed to. Then, with a large sprint and jump, they were up in the air.
"You got me for company now, Veraxitoc is gonna be focused on leading the way."
She smiled to the younger dragon.
"Is Veraxitoc some kind of a dragon politician?" she asked a little bit confused.
She never heard about something like that. She did, on the other hand suspect that things in Adela probably weren't the brightest. And she doubted that the towns folk would listen to her, a stranger, but she promised herself that she would try and spread the word. A favour for a favour.
"He's the leader of ou- SHIT! BIRDS!" He banked steeply to avoid the flock of mountain birds. "He's the leader of our Colony, head elder. He tries to improve relations between us and the humans."
"He's also technically my uncle, although he's my adoptive, uncle-figure. No blood relation whatsoever. Me and him are literally two of a kind. My mum is a Crystal-back, from Connlaoth, and my dad is a Gryphon, both my adoptive parents." He didn't care about his old parents. They died, that was that. He never knew them, so he didn't feel sad.
She smiled. Must be nice to have a family... Not that she would care, she corrected herself.
"So what were two unique dragons doing on a top of a mountain?" she asked with a smile, trying to change the family subject, or any subject that had something to do with her.
"Learning to fly. I was anyway. I didn't say cause I thought you might be discouraged to ride me." He flew with agility and precision of a master, but this was only his second time on his wings. It just came naturally.
"I wouldn't have guessed... You fly really good, not that I know anything about flying." she said cheerfully.
"It's astonishing actually.. I wish I could fly." and she meant it. Her life would've been so much easier if she could just fly away.
Veraxitoc made a sharp turn round a mountain, and Methusela followed.
"Usually Veraxitoc flies me around, but I'm a teenager technically now. So I can run around and muck around with people and stuff." Methusela wasn't interested in any of that stuff, but he was still curious. All teenagers are curious at some point.
"As long as you don't burn some poor villagers along," she said with a smile "I think experimenting and testing your limits is a great way to pass the time, especially when you're a teenager." she grinned.
"I would never dream of torching a village. I don't like the idea of hurting innocents." Methusela flew low over lake and put one claw in the water, spraying the air behind them.
"What sorts of things do human teenagers do?"
"I never thought you would, it was a joke" she smiled "But I have no idea what teens do... Tell me if you find out" she shrugged sadly and looked at the beautiful lake.
"Why were those men after you? And what do you mean you don't know?" Methusela was completely confused. How could this girl not know, she was young enough to remember it.
She took a deep breath. She never liked talking about herself or her history.
"Those people are slavers, and I am their target." she told him shortly "I have been on the run since I escaped Conlaoth."
"Slavery is just wrong, to force someone to work for you via threats and contracts is wrong. You were right to escape, and I am glad I helped you." Methusela flew back up to follow Veraxitoc.
"Perhaps it is wrong.. But making it wrong doesn't stop people from doing it... " she said flatly.
"I'm also glad to hear such words from such young dragon." she grinned "Is that your uncle influence or are you always so smart?" she joked. She wanted to change the subject.
"My uncle would love to think he's the reason I'm so smart, but I just am, haha. My uncle has had a big hand in teaching me that violence is wrong." Methusela flew up next to Veraxitoc, who roared quite loudly. They were nearing Ketra.
"We're near Ketra, Methusela will drop you off in the city, and I will keep watch from above. Remember to spread word." Veraxitoc spun rapidly and a loud screeching filled the air.
"Humble, too." she murmured to Methusela.
"I will," she turned to Veraxitoc. "Thank you." she said once again.
"You are most welcome." The got over the city and Veraxitoc flew in circles. "Travel safely Khanna, I hope we meet again soon." Methusela waited to hear if Khanna had a response, gave time to give it, and then flew down.
The landed in a market square, and townspeople fled at the sight of him. He laid down for a second and let Khanna off.
"I hope you find somewhere nice to settle down Khanna, you don't deserve to be a slave." Methusela spoke calmly, although he did feel rather sad leaving his new friend.
She smiled gently.
"And I hope we both find our places in this world" she said "Go out there and show them what a great dragon you are."
She kinda hoped that this wasn't their last encounter.
Methusela leaned up and gently pecked her on the forehead.
"Good luck." Methusela got up, hearing the sounds of hooves in the distance, guards running to kill him.
"Goodbye Khanna!" He took a sprint and leapt up, taking off. He climbed until he reached Veraxitoc.
She took a moment to wave at him.
Then she just disappeared from everyone's sights, leaving the guards confused. From a corner, still invisible by the help of her illusion magic, Khanna spent a few more moments staring at the sky. Then she left in an unknown direction.