Welcome to Gaia! ::

Moments later, Kira broke out from the sand, deep underwater. She slowly began swimming out to sea, shaking all of the resilient sand from her scales. She parted her teeth slightly to let in some water, which she quickly swallowed, food still pinned to the roof of her mouth. Unfurling her large ears, she was immediately assaulted by a barrage of mental voices and emotions. Horrible guilt from both the being wedged in her mouth and another distant one, whose mental voice was already grating on her thoughts. A mental roar of anguish echoed from her mind, for both of them to hear.

Surfacing quickly, Kira floated amidst the waves nearly a half mile out. She opened her enormous maw as wide as possible, draining the remaining water and essentially releasing the being from the hold her tongue had had on it, though it still rested among her teeth.

Shouyin squinted, watching as the strange leviathan's head broke the water. If the half-golem could've frowned any further he would have, but from here he knew it was impossible to see what was up with this new creature. Letting out a soft grunt of disapproval he smacked his heel 'gainst the pavement, making a sharp clunking noise.

His chest refused to let up with this uncomfortable ********, helplessness.

Since the little being was impeding the movement of Kira's tongue, and because she frankly detested speaking anything related to human, she spoke to it telepathically, automatically closing off all other connections to her mind.
Little one, her mental voice thundered, I sense much passion in you. You have the feel of one older than even I. Why do you give in so easily? Do you crave the cold embrace of death so much?

Kira paddled parallel to the shore, wanting to keep other contenders from her prize for as long as possible, in case she did decide to eat it after all.

((Shouyin, she's at least half a mile out to sea. Exactly how far can your character jump?))

If that is true, Little One, then why have you survived for so long? Sheer luck cannot explain away aeons, Kira mused a little more quietly. One cannot control everything. The Fates are mysterious in their nature, and mere mortals should not know what They have in store for us.

Kira impromptly rolled onto her back, careful to keep the small being steady in her jaw. She spread her wings wide under the water and began using them to paddle, still parallel to the shore. Using an enormous, five-taloned paw, she reached to pick him out from between her teeth and to set him on her newly exposed hard-as-steel chest. And what is it exactly that you would like to win at? Are you playing some kind of game with that annoying one who was yelling earlier?

Then get up, Owle sent to him. You won't win if you just keep lying there. Get up.

So long... I... don't know.

He was practically plucked out and set down again, the feeling of being such an insignificant plaything... to this dragon... was enough overwhelm him in the emotional state he was in.

"...Game... yea..."

Owle's words came in as he craned his head back, damp locks of hair moving to let yellowed eyes stare upwards.

He was beginning to remember again. Alex... Owle.. the gods.. penguins...

"It's... a game.. to collect... petals and stop chaos. A bunch of petals... scattered and humans are forced to participate in order to just ensure their own survival."

He stared down at the dragon's stomach, his right fist squeezing shut slightly.

"...I... haven't even found one.. and at this rate...."