This Cinderella Wears Boots

[visualspice]

Angel gave him a look.
"Fat chance.I'm a dragon farmer, remember?" Even still, her eyes looked towards the road ahead.
"I guess we look pitiful enough... yeah, a kind family of farmers might help us." She made a face. "You know, if they're not like my family."

Then again, she wasn't sure if her family would refuse a person in need. It did feel as if they were oblivious to other people's needs outside of their own. You know, like their daughter's needs!

"Come on kid, we've got a ways to go," and she mounted the horse and offered him a hand, but paused, blinking at his form before blushing. "Yeah..." she looked him over again and tried nto to laugh. "You... might want to consider walking for a while. can't imagine it'd be much fun, even for a young boy, to ride pantless on a horse."

[Whim]

"Don't suppose  you can coax out a friendly dragon to fly us there?" Ewan cracked a smirk peered about Draconi Forest taking in the enormity of its trees and plant life. Surely there were all sorts of wyrms and serpents out here...

The boy turned an alarming shade of red. "Guess riding like this wouldn't be a good idea..." He waggled a finger and scurried behind a tree. There came the sound of ripping and tearing as he tries to fashion the ruined skirt into a frilly loin cloth. He thought it seemed appropriately masculine. "Suppose I look a proper urchin now. And sorry, the frills itched. You're not wanting this back anyway, yeah?" Ewan offered a sheepish smirk.

Ewan scurried to keep pace with the horse, who seemed content despite the savage wilderness. Perhaps he'd trotted this road? It was a comforting thought. He felt naked and unsafe out here... in several ways.

They walked and walked until it was late afternoon. It was late afternoon when thick plumes of smoke rose in the distance. Ewan's tummy, stomach he meant, rumbled. The boy hoped it was an inn.

[visualspice]

Angel shot a look his way, but sighed and gave a shake of her head and roll of her eyes at his comment of the garb being itchy.

"Just be glad you're not a rich noblewoman, they seem to wear this stuff all the time." She made a face, a very disgusted face at the very idea. "And their hair all done up fancy and wearing so much perfume they reek just as much as the field of cowpies or dragon dung."

At that, she gave a cruel little smile at the irony of it all. "They say their perfumes are made of piss." She giggled, snorted a little, before cupping a hand over her nose to try to calm that down. She looked to Ewan and gave a shrug. "What? You don't think that's funny? And what's with asking me about dragons? I said my family are dragon farmers, not... Dragon hunters. And even if I wanted to find some dragon, which I don't, do you even realize how many types of dragons are out in these types of woods alone?"

And it was the perfect cue, cause a sharp, shrieking cry somewhere off int he distance echoed over head, and Angel paused to look skyward.

"We.. should probably keep walking, come on." And she took the horse's reins and moved forward. She didn't feel safe on or off the horse, but she couldn't j ust leave the twerp defenseless on the ground and half wearing her wedding dress.

[Whim]

"I suppose everything is grimy if you look close enough. But, I guess its the illusion that counts. Frills and perfume make a prettier picture than straggly hair and mudcaked rags," he cracked a tiny smile. "Its why I became a sorcerer you know, to make all the little fibs I tel myself true."

"And if you raise them can't you ride them?" the boy cocked an eye. "And why shouldn't I be curious? I had them figured too proud to just be raised in captivity." She was right, Ewan supposed, he didn't know a thing about them.

"Wait! Was that-?" panic crossed the boy's face and he edged toward the trees. "You heard that, right?"

The screech came again. This time it was just up the road; much louder and closer to earth. Then came a loud crash, frightful shouting from men, and the bleating cry of a panicked ox.

[visualspice]

"Oh?" she raised a brow, still anxious as she continued to peek skyward every other step. "So you wanted to be a magician so you could become a professional liar?" At that she had to laugh. "Like that lie you keep tellin' about you're age?" She couldn't help but jab that one back at him. She'd never let the squirt live that one down.

But her little smirk vanished the moment she heard the trouble coming ahead. She moved to stand infront of the boy and scowled.

"Stay here with the horse. I'll go check it out."

[Whim]

"No!" The boy groaned in frustration and threw up his arms. "And I don't even know if you're teasing anymore!"

Next thing he new Angel was creeping ahead. "Wait I can protect-" Ewan scurried after and came to a halt,  toddling back beside  the horse. The look she shot him said no.

***

Angel caught sight of a loose wagon wheel as she rounded the bend. There was an acrid stench in the air, and the wreckage of a posh caravan strewn about the road. An enormous scaly shape was curled over the remains of an ox, feasting greedily. A javelin protruded awkwardly from the creature's haunch.

There were no signs of the caravaneers or of human remains. And the drake hadn't yet noticed the girl through the trees, though dragons' noses are keen as their eyes...

[visualspice]

Angel hadn't excepted that. It was the last thing she saw after scanning the scene for clues. It seemed the wreckage was almost an hour old, or so she thought- seeing as no people (or potential robbers) were seen.

Maybe it was because she was used to working with dragons that seeing the drake didn't set off any alarm bells- that was until she realized what it was eating. She couldn't be certain that it was the reason for this mess, but if it was- it was the last thing she'd want to do in confronting it. Wild animals of any kind were unpredictable.

She snarled silently and took a slow step backwards, then another-

But keen on smelling and keen hearing seemed to be this creatures specialty. And before Angel knew it, the creature had about faced and wasn't wasting anytime- and she found herself frozen in shock as it began to charge her.

[Whim]

The drake let out an ear-piercing screech as it bounded toward the stunned Angel. The beast made it part way through the clearing before it keeled forward, stumbling, as the javelin cut deeper. Perhaps it bought her a few seconds to run or climb, but would they matter?

Ewan froze when he heard the shriek again. Whatever it was it was big. The boy rooted about the saddlebag until he found his grimoire. What did Angel know to make him stand around, anyway? Angel might have seen the boy scampering up the road, keeping to the treeline.

His eyes widened as he came upon the scene.

[visualspice]

She couldn't have known how lucky she was for the distraction, the animal, having fallen over due to the weight of it's wound. It bought her enough time to get the hell out of the way, her mind still reeling. Seeing the way the javelin was wedged into the animals body, she was sure it was in a lot of pain- and mad. But even seeing the creature as it were, she couldn't help but feel bad for it. She knew that wound would hurt like hell, and remembered when she tended to her own parent's dragons and one had gotten wounded on the broken fence post....


But was this creature friend or foe? If it attacked the wagon, it got what it deserved, however, if it was part of the caravan... Quick thinking made her second guess the wound. Who would just carry a javelin when traveling in this sort of manner? It didn't look like a trapper's cart, or even the wagon of some type of soldier, or men for hire. No, there was no sign of other weapons...

So was the drake just a victim? If so, it could trust humans; or at least she hoped. And if it was trustworthy...
A drake would be a worthy asset..
Assuming it wasn't going to eat her!

The creature made such pained cries Angel decided she was at least going to try to help it, and with fists tight at her sides, she approached the creature, using calming gestures and coaxes when she neared. At first, the creature didn't seem to protest her getting near- but then when her shadow fell over him, the drake bucked and knocked Angel into a near by tree, before it stomped a few more painful feet away.

[Whim]

Ewan crouched in a bush debating what to do. He could try and turn it into a toad! Or make vines snare it! Or- or what was Angel doing?

The drake whirled to face Angel as she approached, hackles raised, snarling. She could smell the acrid stench of its venomous spittle. The beast reared back as though ready to bite but suddenly stopped, lowering his head to meet her gaze. Perhaps he was domestic after all, and responded to the handling? Maybe he sensed her intent? Or a little human, with no metal scales or teeth, was more of a curiosity than a threat? A long tongue flicked the air nearby, tasting her scent.

A glint of metal caught the boy's eye - something on the drake's tail - a golden band! Someone owned the beast. That made things so much simpler. Angel would calm it down, he could bind the wound, and they'd have a new pet!

"Okay! You keep him calm and I'll mend him!" Ewan yelled, scurrying from the brush.

[visualspice]

Angel refused to move, eyes wide.
"What!?" she winced when her voice almost had the drake scampering away again. She shook her head.
"What are you thinking of? Ewan..." Did the kid not really know he wasn't that good enough of a mage!?

[Whim]

The drake looked from Ewan to Angel, grunting in surprise as the boy scrambled forward. They were willful beasts at the best of times. There was no telling how this one might behave.

"I'm going to fix him. Just keep him still yeah?" Ewan shrugged, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The little sorcerer flipped open his book and began to recite a long series of nonsense rhymes. Green vapor trailed from his fingertips. Perhaps if it worked the pain would be dulled - at least enough to yank out the javelin.

Oh no. It was a good fit above his head. Deeper in than an arrow too, and scales didn't give so much as skin. "Oh, heck. Someone's got to yank it out. I don't think I can reach."

[visualspice]

She saw the green on his finger tips and went white.
"EWAN!" she squeaked, distracted enough that she didn't realize the drake sensed the power, too, and bucked- just enough to whack itself up underneath Angel's jaw- and to make her bite her tongue.

Shocked from the pain, Angel stumbled back as the drake continued to scramble to get away from the pair. Angel had a hand over her mouth, afraid she might have bit her tongue clean off! Even if not... she new she was now swallowing at least a bit of blood after that one, and swore between her teeth once she was certain he hadn't done any permanent damage.

"Ewan just stay back!" she commanded, scrambling after the drake and corner the poor creature once again. Her hands were up, signaling to it to calm, that she had nothing hostile or volatile in her grip, lik ea whip or the likes. But the poor thing was upset and in pain, and had backed itself up against a bramble brush, which it seemed the creature was only just figuring out that was a bad idea as it winced back, thorns now sticking out of it's side.

Angel rolled her eyes.
"I wish I knew a spell to keep you from casting spells!" she growled, and slowly, began to approach the drake again when something caught her eye. They were near a fruit tree.

"Hey.. Ewan... I know how you can make yourself useful. See those fruits over there? The yellow ones? They're wild nama-berries. Pick some, would ya? They ought to make the drake tired if we can get her to eat some..."

Assuming they could even get her to come close enough. Damn. What were they going to do? Angel chewed on her lower lip as she watched the drake cower still and claw whinily at the thorns.
Great, wounded and now getting thorns stuck in it's skin. Those would be damn tough to remove- assuming this whole plan worked!

"Ewan!" What was taking the boy so long!?