Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kera cocked her head, at once confused and concerned, but not caring to dwell on either. She sniffed deeply at this new creature, as might a hound dog. If you are well enough, cling to my back, she instructed, I will catch you if you fall off. That last part was tinged with bravado, meaning of course that she would try to catch the tiny human if she fell off, but that it would depend on how far they were from the ground.

The human's smell reminded her, somehow, of the dragon world. It was as if she were a dragon herself. As Kera scrambled out of the closet and loped out of the building, she realized that if this human were a bonded, that would explain a lot of things. Perhaps it wasn't just her natural curiosity that had brought her to this human that could wield such strong magic.

Kera growled and swiped at random humans as she passed by, not knowing much about the situation except that Gale's starfallen would be on the loose, and she must get away. She swiped the air in front of one of the male slaves as she exited the building from the side, causing him to gasp and fall backwards as Kera lept into the air. Ah ha ha! she laughed in delight, wings are sooo useful when your enemy is lacking them!

As they lifted further into the air, Kera began to let her magic weaken, having to chose between energy for the flight and energy to keep the human protected from other humans, who grew more and more distant. If they got high enough, she hoped, it would be just herself affecting Auri. Although Kera didn't consider that a bad thing, a young dragon's emotions are quite strong and volatile. Kera's was a mix of an ecstasy that a human could only reach through drugs or sex, and the concern that one might have for a beloved, the fear of a fiancee hearing that her darling had been in a rock slide. She was not paying much attention to the human, even if Auri spoke. It seemed that Kera watched the ground closely as they flew west, towards the mountain, and away from everything that Auri knew.

Kera, being a young dragon, could not fly very far with a human on her back. Panting, she came to a rough stop in a dusting of snow. Her flight had further been complicated by outcroppings and the need to continually rise into the air. As much as she tried to find a path more or less between the peaks, she was continually forced up over the mountainous range. She had tried to trace back over her path here, but found that her sense of direction betrayed her. It would be so much easier if she were an adult and could go as high as she wished, where she could see everything.

Growling unhappily, Kera lay down in the snow to let the human off. She turned her head to look at the girl, paying close attention to her for the first time in hours. Will this place suffice for sleeping? she asked, knowing herself to be unfamiliar with the peculiarities of human needs.

If the shivering wasn't enough of a clue, the lack of a response certainly was. Kera dispensed with her verbal questioning and curled up around the semi-collapsed human. Kera was too tired to take them much further, and cold seemed to be in every direction-- snow, too. The cold didn't bother Kera, but she could feel it enough to understand that that was what was wrong with Auri.

As the scales of Kera's chest pushed up against Auri, heat began to envelope the human. Kera lay on her side, exposing the warmest parts of her as she touched the middle of her tail to her own nose. Although not much bigger than a horse, Kera was far more flexible, and unlike a lizard, quite warm-blooded. She directed her warm breath on Auri's head, mouth gaping.

We'll get you some warm coverings at the next human settlement, she suggested cheerfully. Her cheer could be explained by her current hero status; she had flown the human out, and she hoped that now she saved her life from the cold. Really, what more should any human need but their own dragon?

When Auri became more conscious of herself again, she became aware of a gentle purring coming from the dragon wrapped around her. The dragon had its eyes closed, and seemed to be asleep. The snow that had been underneath them had melted, and the ground was dry where she lay. Dawn was breaking behind her, creeping up over the cliff that they slept near.

The bond was different from before, easier to access. For starters, her own dragon was more willing to violate protocol and contact her human half. Secondly, Isk was now in the human world, and they did not have the barrier of infinity and nothingness to cross. Trying to reach Isk was like trying to access her own foggy memories, now. It was something in some ways a part of her, yet in other ways not under her direct control.

Kera woke suddenly, not sure why at first. Then, she realized; You call to your dragon. Do you know what you do? Kera's tone was both exciting and demanding. So she had picked up one of her kin, after all! It was all she could do not to move, afraid of hurting the fragile creature.

Kera stood up in her excitement. How far away is she? Are we waiting for her or are we going there? Speak, little human! Her demand was like a giggle, as she ran a circle around Auri.

Her dragon was indeed close by, in the same mountain range a dragon's hop away.

[Let's go ahead and use the other thread to continue this, since they've now met up - here]