Welcome to Gaia! ::

Jijikko beat his wings, eyes shut, savoring the heat of Eowyn’s desert winds beneath his wings. Things had been going fairly well as of late. He had met numerous new acquaintances — of all stripes, colors, shapes, and sizes — explored new places, defeated ‘foes’ in the form of dragons and critters, and he was feeling, well, accomplished to an extent. Certainly more than he had been in the past. It felt good to have a string of positive occurrences and left him hopeful and ever eager for a new challenge to continue to bolster his strength. He knew that if he wanted to one day progress to the ultimate rank — khehorian — and join the proudest of his khehora ancestors, he had a long road yet to travel. But he was ready for it.

As though a sign following up these thoughts, no sooner had he been thinking it, than a strange buzzing — almost like a vibration inside of his own mind — sounded through the air. The humming continued as he flew, quieter in some directions and louder in others. Innately curioius as always, he progressed in the direction the strengthened the force of the vibrating hum. Finally, he located it, and swooped down, landing for closer inspection: a great, shining suit of ‘armor’ like two-legger warriors wore, except empty of the body. It floated, legless, with a glowing blue base, as though constructed and held together purely by magical energies.

Just as Jijikko opened his mouth to inquire as to: a.) what it was, b.) what it was doing in his desert and c.) if it was friendly, the ‘creature’ — or mechanical and/or magical apparition? — spoke. It’s voice — gravelly, metallic, and yet dangerously soft — seemed to carry far further than its volume might have suggested.

“Dragon-like form sighted. Not a dragon. Must bring back.”

Jijikko frowned, tail swishing in irritation. Of course he wasn’t a dragon. What was this strange—? Then, it started for him, and he yipped, snarling when it raised its axe. Apparently, it didn’t appreciate his reaction. The metallic humming in his head increased in frequency and ‘volume’, making him wince, and he raised his hackles, talons digging into the earth.

“I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“Protocol dictates: all unidentified life forms must be retrieved. The mandate for study requires it.” The thing — whatever it was — swung at him, and Jijikko burst upwards, wings spanning wide as he snarled again, and then dove. He lost track of how long he fought with it. But it seemed tireless, attacking again and again without relent. Gradually, despite Jiji’s best efforts to stave off the weariness, aches, pains, and wounds from the thing’s attacks wore down on him, making him slower and less efficient. He hated to retreat. It wasn’t the way of a warrior — of a winner! And yet, this thing was not khehora, Magescian, or animal. It was something else beyond life, and clearly unnatural.

Whatever it was, he knew eventually that he stood no chance. It chased him across the desert when he fled, following for hours across the desert until finally, he took shelter hiding within a Magescian port city. There, the thing finally seemed to relinquish the chase, leaving Jijikko exhausted, battered, and confused.

What had that thing been…?

Final Prompt:

What do you do? Who do you tell? Do you tell anyone? You've encountered something that has intelligence yet has never before been seen, and it's quite hostile! "Bring back." These words make you think that maybe there are more of them out in the desert.... Please provide a small response. If you have 500 total words in this thread, this counts towards your RP Reqs or as a Hunt Req (you choose).