A Dragons' War

[the friendly fiend]

Elijah looked at Pip, the dragon, and then Cerast. She once again she nodded her head in understandment. She dropped her hand to her side and continued to smile. She knew Cerast felt resentment, there weren't very many other friendly riders out there. She looked to Aedreath and then back to Pip and Cerast.
"It is completly alright, we will find shelter of our own than taking from you, I hope you don't mind if it is nearby here." Elijah picked up her staff and put it back into her holder behind her breastplate. She kept smiling, trying to be as kind as she could. The fact was, she wasn't really trying hard enough. She grabbed the necklace on her neck slowly and looked at the ground solemnly.  

[Stormelle]

Cerast nodded, "It's fine." she said before turning as if to mount Pip when Pip sent a sharp line of words to her mentaly. Cerast sighed, "But I would be honored if you and your dragon would acompany me to dinner." she said through gritted teeth.

Pip smiled gentally and moved her gaze from Elijah and Cerast, putting her gaze on Aedreath.  

[the friendly fiend]

Elijah closed her eyes as her hair cascaded in her face from the wind that slightly blew her direction. She opened her eyes again as she looked to Cerast in wonder. Elijah bowed once more as she replied, "It would be certainly alright if you would rather not have us, but if you suggest, I would gratefully-" Elijah stopped, while she was speaking, she had looked up to Aedreath, he was looking at Pip. His emerald eyes sparkling for a moment. As Elijah looked to Pip and then back to Aedreath, she suddenly smiled, as it grew, she turned back to Cerast and continued as she put her hand back on Aedreath, "We would gratefully accept your hospitality." Elijah's smile softened again, she knew the denial that Cerast sought, she also knew that if she were in her situation, she wouldn't be as accepting as she had been.  

[Stormelle]

Cerast nodded slightly, "If you wouldn't mind, Pip can show Aedreath a cave that you might find comfortable and I can show yo to the banquet hall...If of corse you are willing to leave your dragon. Which is understandable if you don't." she said with a small sigh, but not waiting for an answer she clicked her tounge.

As she did so there was a faint winny, somewhere in the distance. The thundering of hooves grew louder as the creature moved over the snow littered ground, thin though the snow was, as the nosie grew closer a large horse like animal came over the hill. The animal had a large head, with the shape of a horses' but the eyes and features of the face where dragonic. It even had a long, scaley tail, thought it did have a mane of hair that went from it's ears to where the scales on the tail began.

The beast had four hooved feet, although the joints and movement of the beast suggested that they where more dragon like then anything else.The beast eyed Aedreath and Elijah uneasily but seemed to calm as Pip turned her gaze onto it and sent messages thoguth an established telpathic link.

Cerast extened her hand to the beast, who sniffed it expectently, as the beast did so a small pool of a greenish liquid seemed to appear from nowhere. "This is Twlare, she is a Draish. If you wish to come with me to the baquet hall where we may eat then we can ride her. If not then I shall return to my post with Pip."

She did not mention the fact that every atom in her body ached to rush to her beloved's side. She did not mention that this ofer was taking every ounce of good will she had. She did not mention that she disliked the idea of leaving Pip with this other dragon. She did not even mention the fact that the new faces before her-well-simply put, they frightened her.

Pip glanced at Cerast, her ears flicking back momentarily then she smiled faintly, but the smile swiftly melted as she turned her eyes back onto Aeddreath, Do you think your master will agree? If so, I know of good hunting grounds not far from where the cave my master suggested is... she faded swiftly, feeling as if she had intruded into his thougts when she shouldn't have.

OOC:Longer then I intended...>.<  

[the friendly fiend]

Aedreath's emerald eyes sparkled again when he looked back to Pip in surprise, not very many dragons could enter his thoughts like that...so suddenly. He smiled very slowly and politely as he then began to speak to her as well, his smiled faded also. My master does not have so much power over me as it would seem. Even though she is my rider, I am her dragon, she is more of a very good friend, than a master. Whatever Elijah chooses, she will try her best to put it so that everybody is in their best comfort. Even if she fails, she knows that she had at least tried.

Elijah looked to Aedreath slightly and then to Pip and then to Cerast. She could see that she was squirming to be somewhere else, she understood her feelings, she had felt that way once...so very long ago. Elijah looked to the ground and thought a moment, then she looked back up to Cerast and smiled, and said, "You say there are dwarves here? Than if you'll only lead me in the right direction, I'm sure I can persuade them to lead me to the Banquet Hall. You however, it seems, are dying to be other than right here, in front of me." She smiled politely, hoping she wasn't being rude, then she turned to Aedreath, "As for the cave, that will be Aedreath's decision. He is a faithful dragon and he knows what is right." She looked to him and smiled as Aedreath replied, the first time he had spoke out loud since they had met Cerast and Pip.
"Thank you, Elijah." He said, his voice was deep and soothing to anyone's ears who had ever heard it. Elijah nodded as she smiled again and she stepped forward.  

[Stormelle]

Pip's expression suddenly became cold and she took a step back, making her uper neck even with Cerast. She knw his meaning but her immidiate react was colder then she had ment it to be.My reasons for calling her master are that of politness. I do not usually call anyone by their first name besides Cerast and Rish. Then she opened her wings speaking out loud this time, so all of them would know her motives. "I suggest that if you wish to follow, you follow now." then she launched her shinning, scaled, body into the air.

Cerast seemed taken aback by Pip's sudden coldness, for Pip, despite her true emotions was usually very curtious to others, especially those she was just getting to know. As Pip's red scaled body began to disappear Cerast tried to speak with her, but she had put her mental walls up. Felling slightly on edge she returned her attention to Elijah, "I'm more hungry then my desire for the other thing. I shall acompany you and then you can come meet my friend." she did her best to smile and then let her eyes drift to Aedreath, who had spoke out loud for the first time.

"I'm sorry for her abruptness...she's normaly more...Wel...I dunno..." she wished at this moment that she had wings, but it did not show on her face that she wished to go after her friend. Once more her attention returned to Elijah, "Shall we go?" she questioned as she moved toward Twlare, putting her hand into the fluffy mane of the Draish.  

[the friendly fiend]

Aedreath looked to Pip in surprise as she answered him. He looked to her strangely and then looked to Elijah and said to her, mentally, It seems we made the wrong impression. He tilted his head as he suddenly took flight as he followed Pip slowly. His black wings flapped slowly as he followed slightly behind Pip, saying nothing. Suddenly he sensed something to the east, he returned the thought to Elijah, Something to the Eastern sky, he said mentally, by now, he was particularly a distance away from Elijah, that even Pip could hear them, but he doubted it.
Elijah had heard him and suddenly looked to the East, she did not like what she saw. She saw....nothing. She finally grabbed her staff again, and placed it down in the earth, she would walk with it now. She sent thoughts back to Aedreath, Keep it in sight for now, as long as you can, as soon as we relieve our selves from our friend's company, we might as well investigate, but we must be cautious, we have no idea what it may or could be. It may as well be another rider, for all we know. Elijah turned to Cerast and nodded, making no attempt to say anything to bother anyone further, she had tried hard enough, and she feared that she agreed with Aedreath, maybe they had made the wrong impression. She looked back to the East again in worry and then began to step forward towards Cerast.  

[Stormelle]

Cerast could sense, at least slightly, that Elijah felt that something was wrong she grimaced, “Pip is probably just overwhelmed. We…Well we’ve never meet another dragon and rider who are on the same side as us.” She said as she mounted Twlare and then looked at Elijah. “Ready?” she questioned as she clicked her tongue slightly, encouraging Twlare to move toward Elijah slightly.

Pip scowled, she had hoped that he wouldn’t come but then she froze midair, flapping her wings slowly and turning her head toward the east. Quickly she looked to Aedreath, Do feel that? she questioned him mentally.  

[the friendly fiend]

Aedreath glanced at Pip and tilted his head a bit. Yes, I sense it, he replied to her. As he too looked to the east. What could it be? He questioned.

Elijah looked to Cerast and smiled as then she suddenly thought to herself, I've never ridden a Draish, I hope I don't make him nervous, then she looked to the ground, it looks like I failed at that once today. She smiled and stepped forward as she once again replaced her staff, uneasily. She looked to the east uneasily as well. She turned back to Cerast, "Yea, I'm ready."

Adrian looked off into the distance, the he could feel something was over there. But he didn't know what. He suddenly ducked down in the trees, just over the rise of another hill, he could see two dragons. Flying together to some place. He shook his head as he heard a crunching noise behind him. He turned around swiftly to see his brother, Radian, standing there, looking at him in question. Adrian looked back towards the dragons as finally he took off running in the trees, towards them.
Suddenly he stopped, he looked back to his brother, he was in human form now. His brother had long black hair, just like he did. He walked towards him. Adrian walked behind a tree and when he came back out, he was human as well. His black hair naturally pulled down in front of his right eye, he brushed it aside as he gazed at his brother with his green eyes.
"What does the rest of the pack say?" Adrian said, his wolvish tendancies were more than he could handle sometimes. His brother, Radian scoffed as he too agreed with what Adrian had thought, "They say they don't want to alert the dragons-we should get out of here as soon as possible." Adrian smirked as well and then looked back to them and disagreed with his brother, "No...there's something more than just the dragons, I can feel it whenever I run with paws."
"I don't feel anything." His brother said flatly as he walked up to Adrian and looked up to the dragons with him, they were looking in their direction.
"Come on, lets go find the rest of the pack." Radian said as his green eyes pierced through Adrian as he finally consented. They both changed back, Adrian was a grey wolf, with patches of white here and there, unlike Radian, who was completely black. They began to run east again, towards the rest of their pack.

(Lollers, sorry it took me so long.)  

[Stormelle]

Pip watched Aedreath for a moment but then let her eyes moved toward the trees in the distance, she growled lowly but then sighed, We might as well move on, whatever it is moving away from us for now. After saying this she beat her wings hard and continued toward the cave.


Cerast offered Elijah her hand waiting for her to mount Twlar, as she waited she stiffened “Werewolves…Or something like them, get on, NOW!” she did not mean to be rude but she did not like being in the same area as the wolves or whatever they where. If they where in a pack they could easily take down the Draish and if there was enough of them a dragon.

She winced at that idea but said nothing as she waited for Elijah to mount Twlar next to her.  

[the friendly fiend]

Aedreath looked at Pip as well as he continued following her as he answered her, I agree, but...something about it doesn't seem...right. Its just how strange I sense them-do you feel it? He wasn't sure she would agree with him, but he might as well try it.

Elijah sensed something as well, as Aedreath sent her the thought, Elijah, there is something dangerous close, you need to get out of their range. Elijah nodded and quickly took Cerast's hand and swung herself behind her on the Twlar. She hoped she had not waited long enough.
~

Adrian and Radian had finally reached the pack, they were fighting as usual. Suddenly one of the members turned on Radian and Adrian and yelled at them, "It was you who brought us here, now we have to deal with humans and dragons!" Suddenly the wolf, along with the rest of their pack turned into their normal selves as human, but they were far from human. This man, Lee, lunged at Radian, Adrian blocked him by holding him up by the throat and said, "If you dont want to alert the dragons then leave, but friend, you forget, not all of us wolves attack humans so aggresively." He let go of Lee's neck as he dropped to the ground.  

[Stormelle]

What do you mean? Pip questioned, swinging her head around to look at him and moving her wings so that she could stay where she was without going up, down, or in any other direction. She waited for his response, her muscles taught in an obviously apprehensive manner.

Cerast nodded slightly and then muttered something in another tongue and as she did the Twlar jumped forward and then began a fast and steady pace back toward the dwarves. “I must warn you, don’t mention Aedreath while we are here. The Dwarves are to friendly to anyone but their own. I had to threaten them to take me and my friend in…And I wouldn’t have done it had it not been for my friend. I promise I’m not that kind of rider.” She said the last part slightly sheepishly.

~

A slim girl stumbled through the trees, her dark eyes watery and clouded and she moved, “Mum…Mum…” she whimpered as she moved her body shaking as she fell to the ground and into a fit of silent tears. She suddenly stopped her crying as she heard shouts in the distance, HELP! She wanted to cry out but instead unwillingly she stumbled to her feet. She walked as swiftly as her unwilling and tired limbs would let her go and as she moved she began to notice she still couldn’t understand the shouts. She shook her head and as she did she fell over top herself and into a large clearing of trees. Her eyes widened and she attempted to back out of sight, several people stood before her but they looked nothing like humans. At least most of them didn’t, she tried to stifle her gasp, but to late a gasp had escaped her lips.  

[the friendly fiend]

(Lollers, I think its going ok for just the two of us...^^)

Aedreath looked to Pip in question at first and then in wonder, and said, Well, I've felt it before in my homeland... I'm not sure quite what it is yet, I'm to figure that out for myself, but when I feel it, I know, with the most assurance, that something will happen...something that will either be good or bad, but in this case, at first I felt it would be bad, but then...it just....changed, as if the outcome of fate was entirely changed in one small instant. He blinked and flapped his wings faster, he had no idea whether she was willing to listen to him and believe him. But it didn't matter if she didn't believe him, he didn't care really what she thought of him, or Elijah.

Elijah nodded slightly as she understood.
"I understand, the world of dragon riders is dwindling, and I doubt that any rider is like that anymore...but...you can never be too careful." She tried not to blow up and suspicion with that phrase, but thats the way she had viewed the world, if not anybody else had.

~

Adrian and Radian turned back into their human forms as two others, including Lee and one other werewolvish thing (^^) turned back into wolves and disappeared into the woods. A old comrade of their pack walked up to Radian and said, "Don't listen to Lee, that old fool, he has no idea what he says."
Suddenly Adrian looked around, as well as the rest of the pack, they had heard something, so very light and almost undectable to the human ear, but they had been trained in the senses of wolves. Adrian kept looking around as finally he saw a small, and slim girl disheveled and somewhat crying in the trees a few feet away. Radian raised his eyebrows in shock as did the others. Adrian had no shock, only confusion....and wonder. His thick black hair fell into his face again as he pushed it up a bit and it stayed there, ruffled. He walked up to her slowly, hoping not to alarm her and smiled warmly as he knelt down next to her and held out his hand.
"Are you alright?" His kind voice echoed through the trees, his green eyes sparkled as he looked into her dark eyes.
Radian smiled as well as he wiped the shock off his face and placed his hand on the shoulder of his brother and reassured her, "Do not fear, we will not hurt you."
"You knew there was some other reason for coming to this place besides the dragons-didn't you Adrian." said the old one as he looked to the girl and smiled warmly in a grandfatherly fashion.
"Yes, "but I never knew this would happen..." Adrian said playfully as he still held out his hand for her.  

[Stormelle]

Pip shrugged her large shoulders and moved her body back into a flying position as she flew past Aedreath and said clearly to him, We must not fear the unknown. Fear of the unknown is like the fear of a friend you have not meet…Fear where fear is required is important but that is the end of such fear.
The meaning of her words where slightly confusing but also very obvious if you knew her heart’s intent. As they flew she angled her body downward, The cave is up ahead. She said simply.

Cerast nodded, “That’s understandable.” She watched the ground move underneath her and then lifted her head as an angry call came from one of the guard dwarves who was shaking his fist at her.
“First you call one of our steeds and then you come gallivanting back WITHOUT your dragon and WITH another human! Foolish rider there are werewolves in the area! Hurry, hurry! Inside and off of her!” he cried and swiftly Cerast dismounted, pulling Elijah with her and running in through the hidden entrance of the dwarves layer.
Once inside she sighed gratefully, “Are you hungry?” she questioned once inside the entrance hall of the large caverns of the dwarves.


The slim girl pushed herself away from Adrian slightly startled and when Radian joined his brother she proceeded to back away more, shaking her head insistently. What where they talking about? Why couldn’t she bring herself to say anything to them? She gulped down her fear and spoke, pushing a strand of her red hair from her face, “ Safrina? Moi es Mithras. Jo? Jo es Adrian?” she questioned, speaking in the old tongue. She wondered what odd language these strange people where speaking, whatever it was she didn’t understand it. She had asked for help told them her name and, turning her attention to Adrian, asked if his name was Adrian.  

[the friendly fiend]

To take fear to be so unknown to a dragon? He asked in question, not meaning to anger her, as he continued, I know fear, his eyes looked at the ground with horror of the remembrence of some of his long ago memories that still haunted his dragon mind. He looked up ahead and indeed he saw the cave, he brushed away his thoughts and nodded in agreement to Pip.

Once inside and after Cerast had grabbed her off the marvelous creature that she still marveled about she looked to her and smiled and said, "Of course." She continued as she looked back to where they had come, "I have never seen such a creature as that in all my days. They do not have such things in my homeland." Her smile faded as she looked to the ground solemnly. She shook herself as she looked to Cerast and nodded.

Lee drew back slightly as Radian again raised his eyebrows in disbelief as he said quickly to Adrian, "She speaks of olden tongue." Adrian kept looking at her in wonder as he smiled again, his green eyes piercingly sparkly. (^^)
"Never in my day..." Lee mumbled to himself.
"What did she say?" Adrian said quietly as Radian looked to Lee as he translated for Adrian, Radian knew some of the old tongue, he was just usually too lazy to translate. That was Radian, Adrian thought with a smirk.
"Her name is Mithras. She...needs...help? She is asking if your name is Adrian." Lee said, trying to translate correctly.
Adrian looked back to Mithras (That is her name right? heh...^^) and smiled once more as he answered, saying, "Adrian..yes." He nodded to help her understand.