Beginning of the end (Doc)

[Ycharley]

Devin walked to the tavern wall, punching it dark, "Not again Lilly, not again,' He began to whisper, tears rising, nearly falling down his face. He had heard the rumors but didn't head to them, he couldn't take his sister being tortured again, no, not again.

"They.. They must have her," He spoke to Cauwyn as he began to pace. He didn't care how many of the people in the tavern were staring at him. He knew they wouldn't say anything, at least to his face.

"You've got to help me Cauwyn, none of the other son of a bitches in this town are spineless cowards. I mean, they watched an eight year old girl get whipped and tortured in the middle of the town and didn't say a word. Now that she has been taken, they wont do anything either," Devin spoke, his voice breaking.

[Doc]

"They? Who's they kid?" Cauwyn's things in hand he walked over to Devin with a frown. What was this kid talking about and who had a grudge like this against his family? When he started talking about the town though, Cauwyn had to agree. Lilly had spoken about her time being tortured, albeit briefly, so he had to agree with the boy there.

"Yeah kid, I'll help ya. I promise I will. First though, take me back t' yer home an' I'll see if I can find a trail.." He started immediately for the door, jostling his equipment into place, "An I'm gonna need t' change.."

[Ycharley]

"You can change in her room, you know where it is," Devin spoke in a solemn whisper as they left the tavern. Almost as if he was already mourning her loss. He could feel in his bone that if they didn't find her quick she would die. They wouldn't have any mercy on her.

"Yes they," Devin continued as they walked in the streets. "Several years ago during a dispute between the lord of this village and one to the north a group of soldiers from the northern lord were sent here to end it. One of the soldiers was the lord's son. When they lost the Lord disowned his son and exiled the rest in shame. They hold the fault on my head, and they know she is my weakness. I-I shouldn't have left," He spoke, his voice weak towards the end of his speech.

As Devin rounded the corner into Lilly's blacksmith shop he heard a low purr. He instantly reconized it, and he knew Axel was hurt. Under a pile of ruble was the large cat, a rather gruesome looking spear wound to its side.

"Not you too," He whispered softly. "Go Change," He spoke to Cauwyn before sprinting to go get the healer. Lilly and Axel had a connection much like he and his dragon had. Axel couldn't live in Lilly died, but she could live with out Axel though she would feel the creatures death. A feeling he had heard other dragon riders describe, something he didn't want his sister to have to feel. Plus, if they knew Axel was alive, that meant that Lilly was alive as well.

By the time cauwyn had returned from changing the healer was wtih Axel, clearly working magic to heal the large beast. Devin had his outer armor strapped into place and his face set with determination. A large roar could be heard. Devin's dragon could tell they were headed off to battle.

"How do you feel about riding a dragon?" Devin quickly asked Cauwyn.

[Doc]

Cauwyn rushed along with Devin as he listened to the boys tail. He was still a bit confused at some parts, but he understood the gist of the story. It was a common tactic and one the Crows hadn't been above stooping to. Never for something so petty as revenge, at least not their own revenge, but usually for some kind of ransom. People paid well for children.

As soon as they got to the shop he noticed the dire situation. It looked ransacked and Lillys large cat was injured too. The fact she was bonded to it both intrigued him and concerned him, sounded like magic to him, but he said nothing. Instead he darted strait up to Lillys room to change.

A few minutes later Cauwyn came back down in his full battle gear. A quilted suede jerkin and pants covered with hardened plates of molden black leather cinched down tight with a variety of straps and buckles. The black leather was clean and freshly oiled, but obviously worn from strenuous use. His bastard sword hung at his left hip with the help of his baldric and at his right hip was a bearded axe. There were two daggers tucked into sheaths on his belt, one on the front and one on his back, and his newly repaired shield was cinched down tight to his left arm.

Cauwyn shot a glance at the healer, another mage he noted, watching him work briefly until Devin approached. The mans question though certainly got a surprised response from the veteran as he blinked at the kid, but then he responded with a somewhat cautious look, "Can't say I've ever tried it before..."

[Ycharley]

"Well, I hope you're ready to try," Devin said before running his hand through his dark red hair. He could only pray they made it in time. Devin motioned for Cauwyn to follow him as he walked behind the house and forge.

"The other reason they hate me so much is because the Lord's son was a dragon rider as well, and in battle I killed his dragon," Devin said looking down, he wasn't proud of the fact. "I didn't want to, but he pushed until I had no choice."

The dragon bowed down as they approached, Devin climbed up with practiced ease and then quickly offered Cauwyn a hand up.

[Doc]

"That fucks with the rider, don't it? Killin' their dragon?" Cauwyn asked rather casually. He'd killed a dragon before, well him and about four others together though he usually left that part of the story out, and he had seen the pain it had caused the rider. It had been enough for them to get the advantage though and bring the man down. It had also been a turning point in the battle, when a dragon rider went down people tended to panic.

He took the boys hand, he wasn't above accepting help, and clambered up onto the back of the dragon. He settled in behind Devin, wiggling until he found a somewhat comfortable position. Cauwyn wasn't all that big a fan of riding horses, he didn't imagine he would be much more a fan of riding a dragon, "'ey, kid! How 'n the nine hells do ya keep from fallin' off this thing while it's flyin'?"

[Ycharley]

"Yes, it does. It is said to feel like you yourself are dying, and you are never whole again," Devin spoke as he patted the dragon with a smile. The dragon spread its wings and jumped up taking into the air quickly.

Devin laughed at Cauwyn's question. "Hold on for ya life," He answered as he laughed. The dragon flapping its wings getting them higher and higher until the village was now rather small. He looked over his shoulder, smirking at the man's face.

"The more you just relax and let your body flow with the dragon's movements the easier it is to hang on and the more enjoyable the ride will be!"

[Doc]

Cauwyn didn't much care for his instruction, he had hoped there would have been more too it. Some trick or secret, but it seemed he had been naturally born into dragon riding without one because Cauwyn did indeed hang on for dear life! As the beast got higher and higher in the air, and the village smaller and smaller below, Cauwyn suddenly felt a bit nauseous and forced his eyes shut, clenching his teeth.

Perhaps on the back of a dragon wasn't the best place to discover your fear of heights.

He grunted his answers to Devin mostly, still clinging on for dear life as he repeated back rather mildly, "Right. Relax enjoyable, got it! Just, uh how far are we goin'? And what exactly are we lookin' for up here?"

[Ycharley]

Devin smiled, "You're doing a half decent for your first time on a dragon, most people have hurled by now," He said closing his eye for the moment. Relaxing letting the air help relax him, helping clear his mind.

"This is the only way we will be able to find them, and we will be relying on Lilth's eye sight. He'll be able to spot them before we ever would, so just relax, he won't do any crazy maneuvers."

[Doc]

"I can see why!" Cauwyn exclaimed into the rushing wind. He wanted to hurl himself and could feel his stomach churning over and over. He tried breathing slowly, focusing on the rushing wind, the feel of the animal beneath him. It was, in its own right, exhilarating. Though every time he opened his eyes to take a peek he immediately closed them again.

"So, Lilth? That's the dragons name I take it?" He tried for small talk, something to distract him from the flight, "Do you, uh, pick the name or do they have their own?"

[Ycharley]

The dragon was making lazy circles high in the sky, looking over everything, inspecting every detail below them. Devin could feel the dragon's focus nearly as if it were his own. Devin could almost even see what the dragon was seeing.

"Lilth was the closet name in common to his dragon name, so that's what I call him when I'm speaking common. Not very many people can speak dragon, and most wouldn't be able to pronounce his name. So it's basically so no one offends him trying to pronounce his name."

[Doc]

"Ah," Cauwyn said with mild interest. He had never really considered that dragons had their own language. He supposed it made sense, they were suppose to be smart and all, "guess that makes sense. I ain't to fond of people fuckin' up my name, an I can't breathe fire or shred shields with my hands.."

After a few moment Cauwyn had finally decided to open his eyes. He looked down from the dragons back and immediately regretted it. Damn they were high! He had a sudden, sickening feeling that if men were meant t' fly they'd have wings..

[Ycharley]

"Yeah, Lilth takes it rather personal," Devin spoke with a chuckle as Lilth let out a small click as if agreeing with Devin. Devin looked back over his shoulder at Cauwyn and shook his head.

"Just relax, trust Lilth, he wont let you die, he knows you are here to help me get Lilly back. He's pretty fond of her, most animals are," Devin spoke as he felt Lilth change directions slightly, shifting as if he saw something.

[Doc]

As they circled the ground Cauwyn began to settle some in their flight. He was still far from comfortable in being so high up, but he was able to suppress his fear at least until it was little more than a tight knot in the base of his stomach. He focused on keeping his breathing even and the task at hand.

"Can you see anything from up here?" Cauwyn called to Devin. He had both seen dragon riders in battle and even had battled one, so he knew that they could hunt their prey high from the sky. How they managed it however he didn't understand. Everything looked so much smaller from so high up, "Cause I can't see shit!"

[Ycharley]

"I can't see anything either, none really can, though some elvin dragon riders are the exception to that rule. It's the dragon who can see, but with our strong connection we can see what they see in a way. It's something rather hard to describe, it's something you can't completely understand unless you have experienced it yourself. Lilly and Axel have a connection much similar to me and Lilth, where she can communicate and see images through Axel's eyes. She is a lot better at explaining things though," Devin spoke quickly as they seemed to hover in the air.

It was clear now that the dragon and Devin were checking out a certain spot. Devin's body became tense with focus. He prayed his sister was okay and that they hadn't done anything too terrible.

[Doc]

Cauwyn nodded along as Devin explained, not really understanding but at least understanding that he couldn't understand. He didn't really know what to say, so far up on the back of a dragon Cauwyn was pretty much out of his element. He wasn't even good fighting from horseback, let alone a dragon. He honed in on the one thing he somewhat understood out of it all, making a rude nose before speaking with a sneer, "Yeah, well, it don't surprise me the bit about the fuckin' knife-ears.. Eyes like fuckin' hawks the lot of 'em.."

When he noticed they were circling a spot Cauwyn strained to see, though it was of little help, "Why are we circling? Did he find somethin'?"

[Ycharley]

"Whoah," Devin said looking over his shoulder, "Some of the best soldiers I have ever met were elves. Just because you have clearly had a bad experience or something doesn't mean you should be like that," He said before turning back around and closing his own eyes.

"Yes he sees something, he sees Lilly," Devin's voice broke as the image settled into his mind. He took a deep breath as if taking a hold of himself. A deep breath to calm his anger and ease his fears. Still his heart pumped hard in his chest

[Doc]

"Meet a lot of soldiers, have ya boy?" Cauwyn asked back with a slight sneer, mostly defensive about the boy calling him on his comment. It wasn't the right call though, and that's what upset Cauwyn the most. He gave a little snort, but rained in the venom in his voice, "An' you're right, they make great soldiers, great archers an' great assassins.. An' that's why, boy, if you're smart you'll learn t' be weary of the knife-ears.."

He let the dark thoughts and previous memories fade away when he heard Devin mention Lilly. Cauwyn finally took one hand off of the dragon so that it could come across to grin the handle of his sword. His lips pulled back into a feral, almost snarling grin at the idea of coming down on the enemy from the sky. It was a new experience for him, "He found her? Excellent! Let's get down there an' make some fuckin' introductions.."

[Ycharley]

Devin ignored Cauwyn's comments about elves. He had been around many elves and was rather good friends with an elf dragon rider. He knew that she was an outstanding warrior, but he had never met one that he didn't that he would be able to beat in a fight. That was a big thing about fighting, if you ever over estimated an opponent you would hesitate and end up dead. Something that Devin didn't want to end up happening to him. Or his sister.

"Shut up. She is too exposed so this is clearly a trap, we all would be dead as soon as we landed," Devin warned. He was starting to doubt why he brought the man that sat behind him. This would be a game of tactics and wits, not just skill with a blade.

"We'll have to land somewhere else and do a night attack, if not they will be expecting us. When we decide to attack I'll have Lilth rain down some fire for good measure."

[Doc]

"Hey, don't fucking snap at me kid!" Cauwyn growled back at Devin, "I don't know what th' fuck ya think your doin', how many those assholes are down there, or if'n we still have the fuckin' advantage! So, either spit out what you an' your dragon fuckin' see, or don't expect shit outta me, got it!?" Cauwyn was fuming with anger. He could feel it burning hot in him as he took another look over the side of the dragon at the small blotches of things below. Who the hell did this kid think he was? Cauwyn had been killing and fighting since a child, that some spoiled dragon rider who was pissed at him for sleeping with his sister would question him was infuriating.

"You wanna do a night-fight, fine." His voice was still heated, though less of a growl now, "Set us down so we can start scoutin' an' we'll get this shit over with.."