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Of Humans and Dragons {DragonSong}

Started by Celegwen, December 20, 2017, 02:53:37 PM

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Celegwen

@DragonSong
----------------
The woman walked along the woods alone, something she was highly unaccustomed to. Baylrys was lying in wait in a clearing, but he was far too large to walk through the trees without flattening half of the forest.

Freisae had heard rumor of a gold-scaled dragon that hadn't left the woods in quite some time. She was no stranger to hermit dragons, but it wouldn't sit right with her if she didn't at least check to make sure the creature was unharmed.

How deep into the forest is it? She thought to herself. Hermit or solitary dragons usually prefer caves and mountains to forests because it was easier to hide, but this one was clearly doing a fine job of hiding in the middle of a forest.

"Hello?" Freisae called, catching a golden glint in the midday sun. It was about a quarter of a mile away, but dragons usually had pretty good hearing. "I'm not going to hurt you."

DragonSong

Ren lifted his head, drawn from his sunbasking nap by the stranger's voice. A human?

He snorted and shifted his bulk slightly, scales glittering in the light. A quarter mile off by the scent, maybe a little less. "Hurt me?" His voice rumbled through the air like soft thunder. "Child, I don't think you're capable."

Celegwen

Child? Freisae thought, immediately insulted. Spending so much time with dragons, she found that her pride had grown significantly. Either way, she also knew that she was dealing with a dragon, so she had to keep her wits about her.

"There's a rumor," she started, picking up her pace in that direction. She saw him raise his head, so she knew she had been right. "People have spoken of you. They say you haven't left the forest in a long time, so I've come to make sure you are in good health? My name is Freisae. To whom do I speak?"

DragonSong

"You may have that information when you've earned it." His lip curled back in the beginnings of a snarl. He snorted and rolled his eyes, dropping his head down to his folded paws. "Who gave you the wherewithal to come ask dragons after their health, hm?"

Celegwen

"I did," Freisae said, folding her arms and standing her ground. She was unaffected by the dragon's slight snarl, and she wasn't afraid to show it. "I'm of dragon blood, and I give life to them. I have my own personal dragon army, all of whom are fiercely loyal to me."

The girl smirked: she loved saying that out loud. No matter how many times the words crossed her lips, she would never lose the pride it gave her.

Freisae shrugged. "I have proof. One of my dragons is right on the border of the forest, if you want someone to verify my qualifications." That last comment was a bit sarcastic, but genuinely true.

DragonSong

Ren hissed and shifted his bulk, spreading his wings as far as the cramped forest glen would allow. "Watch your tongue, girl," he spat. "You speak of creatures of fire and magic, older than the entirety of your pathetic race. Dragon-blooded or not, mind how you speak to our kind."

A personal dragon army, loyal to a single girl? The thought was enraging.

With a huff, he turned his back on her and settled down again, tail flicking in agitation. "Go back to your pet dragon, and leave me be."

Celegwen

Freisae simply smiled, surprised at herself that she wasn't the least bit rattled. On the other hand, a deafening cry rang out. An absolutely massive figure rose into the sky as black as a starless night.

"She has no 'pet dragon'," his powerful voice echoed.

The girl pursed her lips, not looking at the dragon flying above them. "I don't have a temper," she said, "but he does. I don't want a fight to break out, so he'll stand down on my command, but I'm not leaving. You might not be physically ill or injured, but something tells me you aren't okay." She crouched down with her elbows on her knees and fingers intertwined. "If you tell me what's wrong, I might be able to help."

DragonSong

The golden dragon eyed the black drake with no small amount of derision. Chained to a human, pathetic. Bonds of steel or bonds of love, they were all the same to him- a prison.

"I don't particularly care if you think I'm not okay," he snarled at the girl, pitching his voice in a twisted mockery of hers. When would these two-legged pests learn to leave him alone? "I do not want or require your assistance."

He glanced at the other dragon again. He wasn't exactly itching for a battle with another drake, so flat-out eating the girl seemed to be out of the question. He hefted himself to his feet and curled his lip in a warning snarl. "You brought your friend into my territory, child. Collect him and leave."

Rather abruptly, the foliage at the edge of the glen started to rustle, then burst apart as a snarling half-dragon came racing toward his gilded elder.

"I saw the other drake, what's happening?" Karyn suddenly drew up short as he saw the incredibly human woman addressing his father. The snarl fell from his face, replaced with shocked embarrassment. "Oh, um, well. Hello?"

He looked from Ren to the stranger. Something about her was...off. No, not off, right. She was human, that was easy enough to tell, but she also seemed...maybe a little bit more than that. "Ah- who's this?"

Celegwen

As the golden dragon rose, Freisae kept her place in a crouch, only her eyes following the dragon's movements. Any sudden movements or actions quickly following the dragon's could indicate weakness, and that was the last thing Freisae wanted to show.

Fortunately - or unfortunately - they were interrupted before the golden dragon really had a chance to make some sort of move against her.

At the appearance of another being, Freisae quickly rose to her feet with wide eyes. Clearly half dragon, probably related to the dragon she was having a one-sided conversation with. Glaring upward, she pulled her hair out of her face. "You didn't warn me anyone else was coming!"

"I didn't see them," Baylrys said, still hovering. The girl rolled her eyes at the dragon's sarcastic response.

She faced the newcomer, eyes looking him over to assess just what threat he posed. "My name's Freisae. Call me Kait. And you are?"

DragonSong

Ren snorted. "She's a nuisance, is what she is." He flopped down with a huff, making the earth shudder. "Make her leave."

He folded his paws and laid his head on them, closing his eyes deliberately.

Karyn sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. His cheeks darkened a bit as he shot the gold dragon an annoyed look. "I'm, uh, sorry about him," he mumbled, turning his attention back to Freisae."

He shifted from foot to foot, then awkwardly thrust out a hand. "Karyn. I'm, ah...Ren's son. What...exactly are you doing out here?" His eyes flicked up to the dark dragon hovering above them warily.

Celegwen

She followed his gaze to the figure still above and let out a small chuckle. "Rys!" She called. "Relax! I've got it covered!" The dragon circled around and started flying back to where he was originally.

Freisae shrugged at Karyn, glancing over to his father who had curled in a ball to ignore her.

"Nice 'meet the parents' date, huh?" She joked. "I just got notice of a dragon, your dad, who was holed away in these woods. Normally, the forest is too open for a dragon of his size, so I came to make sure everything was okay. I'm something of a drag-"

THUD!

"Fuck!" Freisae shouted, turning on her heel. She waved her arm to Karyn, encouraging him to follow her as she sprinted in the direction of the noise. "That was Baylrys," she explained to the man. "I forgot he can't fly or land without me. Fucking moron was showing off." Suddenly realizing how strange that must've sounded, she continued. "He's blind."

DragonSong

Karyn's cheeks flushed as red as his scales and he coughed, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. He knew she was joking, but the situation was just...so awkward. "W-well, I wouldn't say-"

Before he could get anything else out there was a massive crash and he looked in the direction of the sound, eyes going wide. "What the hell?"

Then Freisae was running and he found himself chasing after her, calling back to his father, "Stay put, I'll be right back!"

Ren snorted and grumbled to himself. "Stay put. Where's the young idiot think I'm going. Damned uppity lass and her foolish drake..." His voice faded away behind them as they left the glade.

Celegwen

Freisae ran into a new clearing, seeing the mess of flattened and uprooted trees underneath the large body of her friend. He was licking one of the joints on his right wing, and the woman turned around briefly, groaning and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You asshole," she said, looking at him.

"I was helping you," he grumbled.

She scoffed. "Don't give me that tone. You brought this on yourself, so I don't need you bitching the whole way home." She saw Karyn join her and smirked. "Rys, this is Karyn. He's Ren's son. Karyn, this is Baylrys. He's my best friend."

The dragon simply snorted in response, and the woman shook her head. She approached and placed her hand on the dragon's wing, a white light surrounding her hand and healing the dragon's injury.

"Uh, Karyn, what's wrong with your father?" She asked, glow still surrounding her hands. "Not to seem insensitive or anything. I've just never encountered a dragon that was so hostile towards me. He seems like he's really in a slump."

DragonSong

Karyn winced as he looked the dragon over. "Sorry, brother," he muttered. He'd had his fair share of rocky landings- they were never fun.

When Friesae spoke again he snapped his attention to her, then sighed. "He's...a little depressed." He frowned. "He's also just a Class A grouch, and doesn't take kindly to people younger than he is telling him what to do."

He shrugged and sighed again, running a hand through his hair. His tail flicked back and forth almost uncomfortably. "I'm sorry if we're...intruding in some way. I didn't think there were any dragons around, so I figured he could claim a patch of territory- but if you want us out I can probably convince him."

Celegwen

"No!" Freisae said quickly. "Not at all. My territory is a little south of here. If you need a place to stay, there's plenty of room. I have a job-"

"So, I'm a job to you," Baylrys sneered.

She whipped her head around to glare at him. "Enough! Don't pull this shit! You know what I meant!" Sighing, Freisae turned back to Karyn. "As I was saying... I make a hobby of finding hurt or lost drakes and bringing them back to life, so to speak."

"Except Saipior," Baylrys chimed in again.

"I'm going to sell him to the butchers if he doesn't shut up." She finished healing Baylrys, who stood.

In the sky, his size was impressive: on the ground, it was almost unbelievable. Simply standing, he was about 150 feet at the shoulders. Even for Freisae, who had been around dragons for years, he simply made her feel dwarfed. He spread his 400-foot wings, shaking briefly like a pup who was fresh out of the bath.

The woman smirked at Karyn. "He's the biggest of my army." There was no real reason to say it, but the dragon in her had an ego that she had to satisfy every so often. "So, why's he depressed? If you don't mind me asking..."

DragonSong

Army.

Well that didn't sound good.

Karyn took a wary step back, eyes flicking from the girl to the massive drake. "I'm- I'm not sure I should tell you that," he mumbled awkwardly. "He'd probably be pissed..."

He cleared his throat and glanced back in the direction of the glade they'd left behind, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

Celegwen

The woman scrunched her nose. "I just completely unnerved you, didn't I?" She said apologetically. "Look, I call them my army because anything else just makes them seem like they belong to me. They stay with me out of mutual loyalty and respect. I'm not planning an invasion or anything."

Freisae released a chuckle. If she wanted to, she could probably run a successful invasion on a weaker place, but that didn't remotely interest her.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine." She shrugged lightheartedly. "I might be able to help, though. Dragons are kind of my specialty, after all."

DragonSong

Karyn was starting to get why his father had been annoyed with this girl. She seemed to mean well, and obviously her dragon friends trusted her, but she had a sort of...arrogance about her relationship to the draconic that was beginning to rub him the wrong way.

He narrowed his eyes and pointed out coolly, "Dragons are also dragons' specialty." He gestured to himself with a quirked eyebrow, flaring his wings slightly for emphasis. "I am, you may have noticed, half dragon."

With another frustrated sigh he looked away, pursing his lips. "Look, I'm sure you're just trying to be helpful, but this is- well it's sort of a family matter. I think. Anyway, I'm not so sure he'd be thrilled with the idea of you getting involved."

Celegwen

"Frei," Baylrys huffed, lying down with his hands folded in front of him, "let's go home. They obviously don't want our help."

The woman was thoroughly peeved at that point. She understood that some things were private, but she didn't like that Karyn seemed to brush away her own connection to the drakes. Freisae had grown up her entire life being laughed at for believing she was a descendant of the beasts. Now that she actually had that confirmed, she was immediately defensive towards anyone who belittled that bond.

"Rys, hang on," she said, furrowing her brows. "Karyn, I'm not trying to butt in, but please don't act like your specialty regarding dragons is any more significant than mine is. I may not be half-dragon, but I do have dragon blood. I've devoted my entire life to rescuing and rehabilitating dragons. I know the way a dragon's mind works better than telepaths know how a human's does. I don't care if you want to keep it to yourself, but don't think you're better than I am just because you look the part more."

DragonSong

Oh hell no.

Karyn frowned at her, his shy bumbling falling away in the wake of pure irritation. "Do you even hear yourself? Really, you think this is a good thing?!" He gestured to himself again, scales and tail and sharp claws. "You think I'm trying to say that this makes me better than you?"

He laughed, entirely mirthless. "Look, I'm not gonna pretend to know your life, but don't you dare pretend to know mine." With a soft scoff, he added, "And for the record, saying things like dragons are your specialty is probably why you pissed my dad off. They're people, Miss Freisae. Maybe it's not how you mean it, but talking like you do...you make them seem like animals."

Made him seem like an animals. And he'd gotten enough of that in his years of wandering.

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