Welcome to Gaia! ::

But isn't it just as difficult to attempt to force your clan to obey as it is to force the wind to obey? You can do this easily as the head, but as an outsider, it's almost insulting, no, it is, to assume he can command your clan without proving himself or showing any skills.

Keep in mind, one must be knowledgeable in many ways to be a good ruler.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is probably the most grim topic you could have chosen..."

"Simply put, she is destruction incarnate. There is more blood on her hands then most of our kind shed in their lifetime. She is truly dangerous. However, dont let that discourage you form speaking with her; she just lost almost her entire family and has come here seeking refuge... She has almost nobody in her life. I believe a companion would be greatly appreciated."

"I'm sure she will wish to speak with you when she has rested. She had barely made her way to me today, we had just landed before your group arrived. The stains that drip down our hands are regrettable... but i agree that someone shouldn't be looked down on for i, whats done is done; i've lived a long life... and have done things i wish i could take back..." (as his thoughts seemed to drift to the past.)

"Allow Scherazadra to rest for now, she needs to recover her strength and get her bearings, you know, sort everything out and deal with her accumulated loss, to lose so many in a single instance, she must have a lot on her mind...

She may join us later on, but do not fault her if she does not feel very social...

For now, lets indulge in each others company"

"See, only people like us can truly enjoy being able to shift at will like that. Is there anything else you wish to discuss now while you have my private and undivided attention, or shall we sit and wait for dinner to be ready?"

"Hell, you went through all this trouble, the least I could do is give you that. You don't mind if I use a more slender form? Who knows, if I ever seek to rule anywhere, I'd be nice knowing the clan has my back."

"If you would Milady, may I have this dance?" his smile returned once more, he knew the lady would make the offer, and who knows, maybe he was drunk, maybe he was curious, he might have even have just been bored. All he knew was that things were about to get fun.

The three weeks on the road had done little good for the Desert Scourge's nerves. For all her fearsome titles, all her three centuries of adulthood steeped in death and pain, she had had very little in the way of emotional development, a fact that did not escape her now. Her species, she knew, was not one which dwelt too much in the realms of sentiment; being as long-lived as they were, and apex predators to boot, they had little care for feelings that blew away with the breezes which carried those who stirred those feelings away into the sands of time. Yet now, Scherazadra knew why she had sometimes felt pangs of guilt and envy when observing mortals.

She was tired. Exhausted. More than that, she knew she was, and yet no amount of trying to convince herself of that allowed her the merciful embrace of slumber. Thinking back, she could not even remember the last time she had slept. A month ago? Two? What did it matter, if she ate enough? She caught herself pacing back and forth as these thoughts flew through her mind like a rushing river. And behind them, adding force, she could feel the madness rising, calling her to burn, to rend with tooth and claw, to unleash her formidable magics down upon those she deemed unworthy. Silently, she wrestled down the beast within the beast, and instantly regretted it. Even dragons have emotions, and her mind, strained as it was by the lack of rest, no longer had the strength of will to hold them back.

First came the rage, and so swift did it come that she had no option to bite it back. She instead gave it full vent, and as her form rippled into that of her natural stature, she roared like a thing from the deepest hells. Half of the sound was from the air being rent asunder by a thirty foot thick jet of bright flame which washed over the stone of her cavern, and it slumped, super-heated almost to a liquid state within but a few seconds by a fire which rivaled a lightning strike for sheer temperature. But fury faded quickly, leaving the black pit of depression to swallow her whole. Howling again, uncaring of the reactions of the servants nearby, she clawed the putty-soft wall in despair, leaving six foot deep gouges as she sank her weight against it. To hear a dragon sob is a rare and dreadful thing, for it sounds almost like their laughter, a horrible rasping, gagging sound.

Finally, after almost an hour of thrashing, her body finally gave in, tension draining in those desperate throes of passion, and she collapsed into an untidy heap and, without any more fuss, curled into a ball and slept.

A shift went through the Khadroma as the ripples of hot air changed the air currents. Then, just as quickly they adjusted and continued through the complicated moves. With the appearance of the clan heads however, the warm up was over. Now a handful of the older members took wing, Aiko among them as they rose into the belly of the cloud. Within moments the currents picked up, ruffling through hair and feathers. Then, in a blinding flash lead by the Storm Wind, lightning struck. The cry went up and any who cared to dare the lightning took flight, dancing through the clouds as they sang the ancient songs. Those who had already passed just called it to them, some easier than others although within moments the thunder had risen to a continuous rumble.