Welcome to Gaia! ::

"We're being dive-bombed." Atticus automatically said as he saw the dragons descending at an alarming rate. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I've never seen a welcoming party greet visitors by charging up to them with..." He paused and squinted, though it wouldn't stay hard to see for long. "Weapons? Yes, weapons." It sounded more like a joke the way he said it. That was Atticus, though.

Riyo cringed in frustration over the situation as a whole. "I just got done being a prisoner. I don't want to do it again." That is, if they took prisoners. Her eyes glanced back and fourth from the forest and incoming hostiles. If they did make this, it would be close.

Sohki approached the ground quickly but still gave himself an ample amount of time to extend his wings to soften his landing. The roaring thud of the landing was damped by the shifting sand but he seemed mostly unfazed as he rose to full height and stared down at the 'visitors' with gleaming golden eyes. After a short moment of allowing the hooved beasts to calm themselves somewhat, Sohki spoke to the intruders but it was in a language from long long ago.

"What is you're business here?" The dragon barked, his wings finally settling to rest at his back.

Kylar, being the daring one, waited for the last possible second to prevent a crash landing. Once he was impossibly close his wings snapped open and he dropped to the ground in a kneeling position. A wicked grin crossed his face as he looked up...at least until he realized his feet were lodged deep within the sand preventing him from standing. As Sohki approached the travelers, Kylar looked to Branka pleadingly. "Help?"

"I'm sure they didn't come to dive-boom us with gifts," Neko shot back at Atticus. He didn't get a chance to say much else as the wagon began to shake from the panicking horses.

As the wagon was thrust from side to side, Mitsu was thrown down on the deck and stayed there until the movement began to settle. Just barely she heard one of the creature's speak, but couldn't understand it. "What did it say?" She asked quietly, her hands covering her head as if waiting for an explosion.

((I figure the dragons will know many languages but will always first speak in the language they are used too. If that's too much I can always alter my post. I just thought once they heard the traveler's speak they would know what to speak themselves.))

As the wagon rocked, Riyo's hands grabbed for something to stabilize her before she tumbled back like Mitsu. Unfortunately, they could only find Atticus, and both of them went tumbling back instead. They ended up a few feet in front of Mitsu, stacked like Jenga pieces.

"Atticus." Riyo began, her face flat on the ground. "You need to eat more or something."

Atticus sat up and shook his head. He would have taken the opportunity to tell her she needs to eat less, but she did break his fall. So maybe he'd let this one go.

His eyes instead returned to the conflict right in front of them. "Great. They speak a different language." Can't say he hadn't been in a similar predicament before, only his previous experiences with people who had a different language affiliation didn't have deadly weapons or talons that could rip you in half. "Just our luck."

Riyo lifted her face off the floor to see what was happening. Those dragons didn't look like they wanted to chat... They looked like they were ready to take no prisoners.

Nodding in reply to Kylar, Branka began to move to join Sohki as well. She too noticed that they were missing one of their members and quickly glanced up and around to see where Durzo might be. The three of them may have just dove too quickly for the big guy.

The equines were still rather skittish but they weren't panicking as much now, making them easier to deal with. And with Neko to help him calm down the horses, Blade turned his attention more towards the dragons. This time he was able to understand the dragon.

"We're seeking refuge," he replied simply and calmly, "Not long ago some slave traders managed to capture us, but we've managed to break away. I apologize if we're intruding on something but we mean no harm."

He wasn't entirely certain how to feel at the moment, facing true dragons for the first time.

When Neko had found what food their captors had left in the wagon, Hitsu eagerly reached out for the jar of pears. She had full intentions of taking just one, but after the first two more followed. "So good..." Hitsu had said to herself quietly before finally replacing the lid to the jar and setting them aside. Hopefully they would be somewhere soon, where they could have a real and filling meal. Surely their stomachs were beginning to shrink. Hitsu tried to recall if she had even had a full stomach since the day before they fled the village... It seemed that every meal since the night they met Mitsu had been cut short some way or another.

Not long after Atticus had been offering 'cooling' pills; which Hitsu declined, since she didn't want to take one if others needed them worse than she; Blade had mentioned something up front about being close to something? Something other than barren desert? Oh, how she hoped so. To sleep in a bed again... It felt like years since their last inn stay, especially after sleeping in that cage.

What happened in the end, Hitsu hadn't expected. Hostiles? She remained in her spot in the back of the wagon, not daring to come out unless she was told to. She really didn't feel like more trouble... Was something else about to go horribly wrong?

When the wagon had violently come to a halt, Yuki was startled awake. Eyes wide, he jerked his head up and quickly tried to catch himself before he hit the floor. Checking to be sure Hitsu was fine; confirmed when he saw her sitting up next to him; Yuki moved toward the front of the wagon to peer out and see what was going on.

He hadn't expected to see Blade and Neko speaking to dragons.

Yuki didn't say a word, only looked from each one with an expression of clear shock. Dragons...

He actually missed the slave traders now.

Thankfully, the lead dragon sheathed his weapon and took on a less hostile stance. That was a good sign for them. Though, with the quick bit of banter between the dragons, Blade wished he was able to understand what was being said. As it was, there was no telling what went on between them but the lead soon went back into English.

"That's understandable," he replied with a nod. The thief couldn't tell exactly how welcomed they would be, judging the rather displeased looks of the other dragons with their leader. People in general, are rather distrusting of outsiders, especially of those outside of a particular race. And he had a feeling his hint of draconic lineage wouldn't get him much slack at all.

However, it would certainly be better to have shelter than to be stranded in the desert for who knows how long. After exchanging nods with Neko, he turned his attention back towards the dragons.

"We mean no harm, and would be grateful if you could guide us," he repeated.

Branka wasn't entirely enthused with the way things went down either. Lowly, she hissed something along the lines of 'I don't blame you' towards Kylar in draconic, hoping that their captain hadn't heard.

Yuki finally breathed. At least they weren't hostile. Yet.

"I don't like this," he murmured, drawing back from the front of the wagon and sitting on the floor. Perhaps talking to himself, but likely to be overheard.

Hitsu was still sitting quietly back in the wagon, preferring not to make herself known to the outside world until someone else had assured her that it was safe.