Pale Rainbows

[Magyar]

"Then let us be off." He declared, and let Melly take flight first this time, to avoid snowing her in again. Once she had risen above him, he launched himself from the ground, leaving deep gouges where his hind legs sprung from the soft earth. Soon they had climbed many hundreds of feet, and Hvittraak began to fly off in a southwesterly direction. If he was right, the storm had been moving east, and had passed them by, but if he wasn't, they would run into it by the Thunderblack Bay.

[DragonSong]

Melly kept herself a dozen or so feet above Hvit as they flew this time, finding a pocket of air that was only marginally disturbed when he beat his wings and staying within the safety of it.

"Do you know how far we are from the sea?" she called after a while. "I couldn't keep track in the storm, things were a little...hectic."

[Magyar]

"Only about thirty Kilometres. The whole journey is maybe thrice that. Not very far, by any standard." Hvit answered, drawing the lines on a mental map.

[DragonSong]

"Oh." She huffed. "It certainly felt farther than that when I was being tossed around in that storm," she grumbled, more to herself than him.

[Magyar]

"Fret not, little bird. The journey is short, and the hardest part over now. Soon you shall lie back in your nest," he reassured his companion, thinking her words a sign of insecurity.

[DragonSong]

"Right." Melly ducked a little lower so her paws were almost skimming his back as they flew.

[Magyar]

"So surely, little bird, you haven't lived secluded from all of Dragonkind?" Hvittraak asked the smaller dragon above him, "You must know of some things."

[DragonSong]

"Oh sure!" she chirped brightly. "I've done lots of reasearch."

Her tone dipped a bit, mellow notes coloring her voice. "I...haven't really been able to find much, though. Mostly old carvings and such in ruined temples. Not a lot of hard facts, y'know?"

[Magyar]

"Hmm..." Hvitt rumbled, and spared a glance upward, "Is there anything you'd like to know? We'll be flying for quite some time, now would be the best opportunity. I can try and answer to the best of my ability."

[DragonSong]

Melly blinked.

Anything she wanted to know?

She laughed and gave her head a little shake. "Oh, I think I have too many questions to pick one!" she exclaimed after a moment, the ruff along her neck fluffing out as she shook her head again. "Well- have you ever met another dragon like me? Without scales and such, I mean."

[Magyar]

"Feathered dragons, yes. None of your colour, nor singularly feathered. That to me is unique. I have also seen dragons entirely scaleless. Leathery skin lies beneath these scales, apparently," he elaborated, delving into his memory for the answers this little dragoness seeked. He enjoyed this, really... He would miss it when he returned here. Maybe he wouldn't return immediately.

[DragonSong]

"Really?" She did an excited little backflip, unable to contain herself. True, it seemed that Hvit wouldn't be able to tell her more about her own kind, but it was fascinating to learn anything about other dragons.

"Well then...do you hoard? Almost all the carving and scrolls I've found mention hoards, and I like to collect things, but do all dragons do it?"

[Magyar]

"I've a sizeable amount of dwarven-worked metal and rubies back at my mine. It's one of the reasons I chose it." He explained, "I'd say most hoard something or other. Shiny things. We're like magpies, honestly."

[DragonSong]

"Hmm." She turned that over in her mind. "I have a few shiny things. Probably not as much as you lot on the mainland though- there isn't a whole lot of metal working on Yoreiq."

[Magyar]

"You should have said so," he berated, "I could have gifted you something from my mounds of treasure. I have much and I think not that one trinket missing will do any harm."

[DragonSong]

"Oh, no! I don't mind. I like my collection, there's a few sparkly bits in it." She let herself alight on his back for a moment so she could nuzzle his shoulder in gratitude. "Thank you for the thought though."

[Magyar]

"Simple courtesy, little bird." He replied, "A kind guest deserves a kind send off, even if the host flies with them. It is a matter of hospitality."

He arched his neck back in pride, attempting a regal pose whilst both flying and carrying a passenger.

[DragonSong]

Melly giggled and nuzzled into him again, crooning quietly in the back of her throat. "Well, I certainly appreciate the sentiment."

She gave two quick flaps to get herself airborne again, dipping to fly beside his head for a moment so she might catch his eye. "Truly though, I don't need any gift. I've learned more in two days with you than a century on my own, and that is gift enough."

[Magyar]

"If you say so..." he said twisting one eye back at her. He could probably stay in the tropics for a while. It would be nostalgia and lack of cold that would drive him back though...

"Have you any cold mountains in Yoreiq?" He asked, eye flicking back up at Melly.

[DragonSong]

"Hmm..." She tilted her head, considering. "Well, some of the islands have mountains. But none of them get as cold as yours- there is snow sometimes though!"

She flipped onto her back, flying that way for a while before turning back over. "The water up there always tastes the best. It's fresh and clear and cold. I like it."