The desert seemed like it went on forever. In every direction, sand, sand and more sand. Ruka used to think that it did go on and on into eternity, and that his small little oasis in the middle of it all was the only thing in the world that existed or mattered.
Well, the appearance of the occasional Outsider proved that it wasn't the only thing in existance, but it was still the only thing that mattered. To Ruka and his people, at least. Some of the Outsiders weren't so bad - though Ruka still loathed that Jahi and Bon both had a terrible habit of bringing them in and wanting to keep them. Of all the things...! They weren't strays!!
The oasis was considerably large, nearly a mile from any given end to another. Lush trees, fruits, flowers and a lake make it a gorgeous sight for anyone that happened to be traveling along in search of nourishment. And, the tiny set of well-made, sturdy huts at one end of the oasis drew in larger animals also in search of meals; desert dragons and wolves, among other things Ruka couldn't even begin to name. The great snake took pride in the fact he'd never failed to get rid of any such creature, and not lost a single life amongst the villagers (all twenty to thirty of them) in the process.
At the opposite end from the village (if you could call it that), stood the temple. It was sturdily built, nothing but the best they could offer to their protector and self-appointed (but for good reason!) King. Inside looked... just like the outside. Trees, soft grass and sand, and Ruka's red, black and white scales stood out against the greenary like fire. Not to mention all the small treasures scattered about - an assortment of gems and gold, silver, crystal... Ruka loved anything so beautifully made and shiny, regardless of how much or little it was worth. It wasn't like he really understood the concept of barter or money anyway - it wasn't needed in such a tiny, secluded place. There was enough supplies and food to go around that nobody ever went hungry. They all thanked Ruka for it, and he soaked it up like the vain, self-centered creature he was.
As much as he loved all their praise and the fussing and fawning of the eight that he kept with him, inside his temple (though they had their own room - the girls had insisted. They were women and needed to be alone sometime and Jahi was just so persistant that Ruka could not have possibly told her no!), he was a solitary creature by nature and needed his alone time each day. It was why Jahi nor any of the other girls or two boys ever said a word when he slithered out of his little home every morning.
He would venture out a ways, about a half mile from the oasis and all its greenery, to where several sand-worn rocks jutted up out of the ground from as low as two feet to as high as twenty. Ruka thought maybe it'd been a statue of some sort once upon a time, and had since fallen and crumbled. All the better for him, though. He would lay himself all over the thing - striped coils snaking everywhere and making it hard for an onlooker to tell just where the tail was coming and going.
And Ruka would stretch out on his back or his stomach, arms pillowed beneath him for comfort, and he would bask out in the sun and soak up the heat from the rocks. It was a blissful time for him, and he had a perfect view of the oasis from where he was, too. If anyone came to close, he would see. But it seemed to be a peaceful day, his favorite kind, and so he closed his eyes and proceeded to lightly doze.
It appeared to be a big, juicy, tasty, looking snake from 4000 feet in the above the lovely expanse of desert, really it did. Though as Kydan started his descent he became less sure. The long green dragon whelp was diving fast toward the little array of rocks when he realized the rocks where quiet large, and the tasty looking snake was bigger than he was!
"Oh hell no!" he growled opening his wings and trying to stop his plummeting, beating hard he struggled to stay aloft, and then he was falling, the last 50 feet to the ground. He crashed dramatically into the sands with a loud thump about 100 feet from the rocks. Looked like his dive would have been off anyway. With a grunt he heaved himself out of the mound of sand he had sunk into and began checking himself for damage.
Damn, and he'd just been about to fall into a blissful sleep, too! So much for that.
Ruka's bright eyes snapped open and he pushed himself up, peering in the direction the dragon had landed. Dragons weren't uncommon in the desert - he'd handled them before. Even dragons were no match for being choked to death, after all.
Growling, Ruka straightened up to a good seven feet fall, fangs bared.
"I suggest turning around and flying off the way you came, dragon," he called out. "There's nothing for you here." 'Except death', he thought of adding. But Jahi had insisted once that sounded so stupid and dramatic. Tch'. What did women know, anyway?
So it wasn't a Snake it was a Naga... great just what he needed to deal with a man-snake that was probably the same size as he was if not bigger. His unfortunetely he wouldn't be flying anywhere, one of the long thin bones in his right wing was broken, the shock was wearing off even now and pain was beginning to spread throughout it.
"Look Naga I don't want trouble, but I won't be flying off anywhere" Kydan growled somewhat more threateningly than he had intended.
Ruka's lips pulled back in a snarl, hissing. "Then you'd better start walking, dragon, before I break your legs and leave you for the wolves."
He seemed momentarily distracted, gaze flicking behind him in the direction of the oasis a mile or so away. Some girl's figure or another was hurrying towards them, and this only seemed to add to the naga's irritation.
"Get out of here," he snapped again, attention returning to the dragon. "You're lucky I don't snap your spine right where you stand."
"Now, now, that's no way to address one's new aquintances though if you chose that tone regularily I may be tempted to leave just as you say!" Kydan had recovered some of his composure and noticed a rather tasty looking human running toward them. "Though maybe I'll stay for lunch."
Ruka hesitated, looked from the dragon and back over his shoulder at the approaching human and back again. "I wouldn't suggest trying it. She's likely to give you indigestion."
The dark-haired girl approached, though keeping a wary look on the dragon and as close to Ruka as possible.
"What is it?" she asked, almost excitedly. "Is it hurt? It looks hurt. If it's hungry, I can-"
Ruka sighed. "Dragon, please be on your merry way, would you? If you must, get a drink from one of the springs and rest in the shade for awhile, but then get out of here. ...And don't eat any of my people, or I'll break your other wing and your jaw."
Kydan felt the spines on his neck go up it? Jeez you'd swear the darker emerald coloring and disticntly male appendages weren't obvious enough.
"Thank you for your gracious offer, and if "it" grows hungry "it" shall refrane for devouring your humans" Walking slowly toward one of the larger springs, Kydan adjusted his damaged wing and stretched his long serpentine neck looking back he added "And if I was you I would teach the young lady some manner's, and how to recognize the gender of other races"
Lowering his head toward the cool water he drank slowly trying to ignore the pain in his wing but failing badly as he winced and groaned.
The girl blinked a few times, confused. Ruka snickered and muttered something under his breath, "Apparently I'm not the only one that thinks you have no manners, Jahi." The girl scowled at him sulkishly, and started heading after the dragon. Ruka hissed after her. "Where are you going?!"
"The longer his wing is hurt, the longer he's going to stay here, you realize," Jahi called calmly. Ruka started to say something, blinked, and... realized she was right. Dammit. Stupid women-logic!
"Tch'." The naga started to slither after her reluctantly. Dammit, all he'd wanted was to enjoy his basking-time! "Fine. Tend to his wing. But don't get eaten or you'll be in trouble!"
"Uh huh." The dark-haired girl grinned and hurried after the dragon. "Hey, hey, wait up, please!"
"Do I have to?" Kydan called over his shoulder. Not Waiting for an awnser he plopped down in the shade and stretched out his long body. With a groan he extended his wing and let it lay limply beside him. The girl Jahi, the naga had called her came running closer He looked long and hard at her, he was quite hungry after all. He decided that she was pretty for a human.
With a pleasant figure and dark hair, that as much as that pushover of a naga's threat helped him decide that she would live to see another day. And that the naga was right seeing how she talked to him she was likely to be one of those ones with the defiance to fight as she slid down his throat. Stupid girl would probably make him throw her up anyway.
Jahi caught up to the dragon easily enough once he'd laid down, and she crouched beside him while looking over his injured wing - though she didn't attempt to touch it just yet. Maybe it was the fact that she'd lived in such a tiny, relatively safe little village with Ruka to protect her that she wasn't afraid of a dragon. In fact, she looked rather interested more than anything else.
"Your wing is injured." As though he hadn't noticed. "Are you hungry? We have fruits and dried meat I can bring to you, and I have someone that can help fix your wing up, too."
"Dried food? HAHAHA dearest human I need warm meat still dripping in blood preferably and I can hunt for myself, though the prospect of a healed wing is appealing" Kydan said cheerfully. He curled his tail and neck around so the tip of his snout met that of his tail and his body formed an emerald ring around Jahi.
"Meat, huh?" Jahi settled down to her knees and reached a hand out cautiously, fingertips touching the dragon's snout lightly. "We have some llamas. They aren't very big, so I doubt it'd be too filling for you, but I bet I could steal one away if you wanted a snack." She turned her head again, looking back up at his broken wing. "And I'll send Bon out to look at your wing. He's good with salves and herbs and can splint it for you."
"Hmm... It has been a long time since I ate Llama, that would be pleasant and I do not need more than one" He moved his snout closer to her offering her the rare honor of petting his head. "My name is Kydan, What is the name of your leader the Naga?"
Jahi's hands were exceptionally soft, and she was gentle as she pet him. "His name is Ruka. I know he seems a little churlish and arrogant -- ah, well, he is churlish and arrogant, but he's a good man." Snake. Thing. Whatever. "He keeps all of us here safe. Especially me and my siblings." She said siblings, but they weren't truly related to her. Well, maybe one was a cousin or something. But she slept, bathed and ate with them - that made them sisters (and two brothers) in her eyes.
Kydan had not known Human hands could feel nice on ones snout. Go figure.
"Ruka, hmmm not a man a Naga and an exceptionally large one at that you are his slave? Or companion?" Kydan said relaxed by the gentle movements of Jahi's hands. Like a rather large dog he nestled down more comfortably and again rearranged his sore wing. He looked over to see a man walking toward them with a small sack that smelled of herbs.
"Mm... Companion is more fitting a word, I suppose. All of us that live with him are." She rearranged herself comfortably on the ground, one hand settled against Kydan's snout. Her head lifted and she peered past him, whistling sharply and calling out in a name. She could still see Ruka lingering near the doors of what looked to be a small temple of sorts, and their little 'healer' making his way towards them.
Bon, as Jahi had refered to him earlier, wasn't particularly old. He looked maybe sixteen at the oldest, and still had a soft face and the same tan skin that Jahi had, though where her hair was a sort of mahoganny, his was as black is it could get. He looked much less like a leader than Jahi did, and seemed more inclined to simply do as he was told.
"That's Bon," Jahi told Kydan. "He'll fix your wing up, but I hope you won't eat him if he hurts you a little bit." Splitting an injured wing of course was going to hurt a bit.
"Eat him? Bah your Ruka warned me against eating his people and in exchange your healer will help me, I'm fine with that" Kydan said. "And besides if he is as gentle as you this should be a pleasant experince yes?"
Jahi just smiled and continued petting him soothingly.
Bon approached them cautiously, both intrigued and a little intimidated. He'd never seen a dragon like this before... The closest had been some of the non-flying desert dragons, but even then, he'd not encountered one up close. Not many people did and lived to tell the tale.
"Lord Ruka said I'm to fix your wing," Bon said slowly, voice calm despite his nervousness. "If you'd like me to do so, that is."
"Bon, this is Kydan. Kydan, this is Bon," Jahi introduced them cheerfully. "And don't fix it too well, or Kydan will leave sooner." She was joking. ...Probably.
Of course as with the snake hunting Kydan was wrong about a painless operation to fix his wing. It hurt like hell and the bone had yet to be set. As one of the more sensitive area's on the draconic body the wing was easily wracked with pain. Bon was about to set the bone and Kydan was trying to relax. CRACK! The bone was forced back into place and Kydan cried out with an anguished roar.
Both Bon and Jahi grimaced at the sound, and Bon waited a moment before he attempted touching Kydan's wing again. Jahi resumed petting the dragon's head, murmuring soothing words to him, while Bon started smearing herbs and some sort of smashed-up, fruit-smelling goop all around the swollen area where the bone was broken. That done, he proceeded to bandage it as best as he could, more to keep the 'medicine' from wiping away.
Once done, he looked at Kydan, voice still flat. "That stuff will dry in an hour or so and work as a sort of splint until the bone heals. You'll need to move your wing as little as possible."
Jahi gave the boy a fond smile. "Thank you. You wouldn't mind asking some of the girls to bring out food, would you? Poor Kydan hasn't eaten in awhile."
"So I heard. He tried to eat Lord Ruka?" Bon eyed the dragon.
"Something like. Ruka would have given him indigestion, I think," Jahi said lightly, and Bon turned to meander off back towards the temple in search of people to bring food for Kydan.
Jahi looked back at the dragon, coo'ing gently. "How are you feeling?"
"Wonderful...." Kydan groaned, stretching his unhurt wing and giving the damaged one an experimental wiggle. "Thank you healer"
Kydan gave a small bow of his head before adjusting his position in the sand once more and then laying his head down. "Where is the boy with the food?"
"Give him a minute. Finding enough food to feed a dragon is a bit of a task," Jahi clucked.
It did take a bit, but before long, Bon and a few girls exited the temple nearby with platters of food. There was little meat, but a lot of large, gorgeous-looking fruits and nuts that grew all over their little oasis. Bon stopped in front of the dragon, gestured a bit, and the girls set down the platters within easy reach.
"My thanks Human's... and I believe I owe your master a word of thanks as well" Kydan said slowly as if deep in thought as he said the words. "Where is dear Ruka?" He asked as he dug into the tender little morsels of meat and munched on the sweet ripe fruit, sticky sweet juices running down the side of his jaw. With a glance at the awestruck girls who had been carrying the platters Kydan looked at Jahi. "What's wrong with them?"
"Lord Ruka is in his chambers," Bon explained levelly. He didn't seem much in awe of the dragon, but then again, he looked like a rather calm person that wasn't easily surprised by much anyway. "He asked not to be disturbed.
Jahi looked back to the girls, who were just watching the dragon eat. "None of us have seen a live dragon before. Only the desert dragons that Lord Ruka kills when they attack the village, but those don't have wings or anything like that."
"Really?" Plopping down on his hindquarters and looking like some sort of monstorous toddler he went back to his food eating with his claws carefully and awkwardly trying to spear fruit on his index talon.
"Well I'd always heard the desert Dragons are a little primitive" He explained, his sharp teeth unaccustomed to fruit he had little bits and pieces stuck inbetween them. "But Physically I suppose they would be quite an opponent"
Laying down again and moving his head toward Jahi for further scratching he used his tongue to snatch fruit from the neat pile.
"The desert dragons don't talk, either. At least not in any language we can understand," Jahi continued to explain. She cast a glance back to the gawking girls and waved her hand dismissively. "Go on, shoo! Let him eat in peace." Once they'd all skittered off, leaving only Jahi and Bon behind, the dark-haired girl went back to lavishing a bit of petting and scritching on the dragon.
Bon settled down beside the plates of food, hands neatly folded in his lap. "Where did you come from? We get few people passing through this part of the desert."
"Well actually I'm from...." Kydan thought for a moment, memories of home spreading through him like a wave of euphoria. "I'm from the Necromatian Isles"
Kydan's mind filled with the thoughts of his life on the isles. Amazing thermal updrafts, powerful winds, and all his brothers and sisters. Very warm fuzzy feelings filled his mind as he began to speak of home.
"I lived on a small island near the western end of the isles with my flock, the place is amazing, water as far as the eye can see, raging winds that come with great storms, and thermal updrafts that make even the ones here in the desert seem pathetic" Kydan waited expectantly for a reply from the humans.
OOC Poke Poke sorry about the delays and poor quality this ones better!