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| So Sang the Meadowlark | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 27 2011, 10:36 PM (1,017 Views) | |
| Aeternum Vale | Jun 16 2011, 10:46 PM Post #16 |
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Overworked
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Zayel stood firm despite the rumble that vibrated the very breath in his chest. It was only when claws curled around him that the challenge faded from his golden eyes. He tilted his head back to avoid cutting himself on the razor sharp talon. The threats didn't do much to him; the present hold she had on him was message enough. As she stregnthed her grip he felt the air push out of his lungs, but really stole his breath was the damning observation of his race. Rage boiled up inside him, despite being half choked, but he quickly stifled it. He was worth more to his people alive than dead. The roar blew his hair backward with a burst of heat, he would go along with the dragon for now, but if he had a likely window of escape he would take it. Now all he could do was wait, and hope that he could minimize casualties. He closed his eyes and his brow furrowed. Casualties. Is that all his people were now? He bowed his head to show that he would go with the dragon, having not enough breath left to even agree. He could feel the dark eye boring a hole into his existence, maybe they really were all cockroaches in a dragon's eyes. But they were his cockroaches. |
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~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~ Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3 | |
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| Oop | Jun 19 2011, 12:36 PM Post #17 |
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so they scream
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With a wary eye trained on the two-legged, she slowly released him from her immensely powerful grip. She still bared her fangs at him, but she curled her tail around toward him. "Climb up," ordered. "And mind the spikes." They ran a line down her spine, each like a gleaming dagger. One slip, and Dragon Eyes would become Dragon Eye, or worse. Safia did her best to ignore the indignity of allowing a two-legged on her back. Not even a pointed-ears-two-legged, but a round-ears. Her mood couldn't have gotten much fouler. She'd come down from her high-peak-nest for just a day to hunt and wash, and somehow she wound up tangled in this ancient cobweb of a long-awaited-future-seeing. When she felt the human settle in the slight dip behind her neck after he'd crawled up her back like some kind of itchy-biting-insect, she wasted no time in taking off. With her two massive wings spread wide, she launched herself into the air and flapped, rising higher and higher. She knew not how high a two-legged could go, but she did not much worry about being recognized, and so flew lower than she usually did, using air currents to glide as much as possible. If she was careful, she could probably make the entire trip with just one break. Still, at fairly even intervals, she would give one great flap with her wings. Spread in the sunlight, the bluish-purple of the membranes could be seen through the white exterior. It became obvious, when she flew, why she was also called Starfire, or Moonscales. Each of her scales glittered like white diamonds when light hit them. Even when she stood still, it always appeared like she was moving, due to the light constantly reflecting from her. When she was younger, it made it difficult to hunt, never being able to hide. And so she'd gone to the mountains, where prey was scarcer, but where she blended more easily. Now, though, hunting in almost any environment posed no problem. Safia flew silently, settling herself into the steady rhythm of a long flight. Longer than any she'd previously been on. |
| If you're gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks. | |
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| Aeternum Vale | Jul 29 2011, 10:34 PM Post #18 |
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Overworked
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Zayel felt as if he were in some impossible, and contrary to popular belief, he was not very brave. As a child he had fequent nightmares that made him so scared he could sleep nowhere else but at his parents' side. He remembered the stinging whispers of the servents who knew of his night terrors. The scaredy prince they called him, and sometimes even questioned if he was really of royal blood and not some dirty orphan off the street. The dragon's spines seemed to choke up these memories with their sharpness; they were the perfect symbol of his childhood. He navigated carefully around them, justas he had navigated around what he wasn't supposed to be as a prince. The first and foremost of these was being a coward; his hand narrowly missed a sharp point; and at this he had failed since birth. His father had probably never forgiven for this fault and had worked him twice as hard in every other princely quality. Unfortunately for both him and his father, there turned out to be many princely qualities he did not posses. Most notably, after his lack of courage, was his lack of stregnth. Any sword bigger than a rapier was cumbersome and made his skills as a swordsman suffer, Despite the fact that he was very good with a rapier, his stubborn father forbade him from ever wielding one. So Zayel, had suffered along with swords much too heavy for him, and he learned to wield them, if weakly and without much skill. With all his other military shortfalls he was a terrible soldier, a bad leader, and a weak prince. But this was only really known by his parents and a few close lords. It seemed his father took pride in comparing him to the sons of his lords in waiting. Beyond the castle walls, however Zayel was the son his father wanted. Stories of his accomplishmentsm however ridiculously false, were told amongst the people as fearsome epics. He settled cautiously amongst the spikes. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Seth took the thrown? He was an excellent fighter and suited the roll much better than he ever could. There would most likely be a coup, or would there? Once his father saw the sword and heard whatever story Seth invented, would the crown not pass smoothly? |
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~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~ Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3 | |
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| Oop | Jul 30 2011, 11:10 AM Post #19 |
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so they scream
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Even as the burning-orange-star began fading from the sky, Safia kept pushing forward. The wind currents had long since shifted, making her have to strain against the endless-blue (now more of an endless-orange) for every inch of ground gained. She considered asking Dragon Eyes what kept him so buried in his head, as a distraction from the immense heaving of her chest as she labored, but she didn't ask immediately. Rather, she observed as well as she could. He didn't seem to mind the height, or perhaps he hadn't noticed yet. He didn't quite cling and holler in horror as she'd expected, either. As suspected: a dragon's heart. Safia's anger had mostly diffused itself by the time the white-night-light has appeared. "Tell me of what you think, little dragon." Her voice, emanating from her mind, only shows traces of her fatigue. She will have to stop soon, if Dragon Eyes cannot distract her. Already, she is losing altitude, her great maw slightly open so that she might breathe more easily. |
| If you're gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks. | |
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| Aeternum Vale | Jul 30 2011, 07:54 PM Post #20 |
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Overworked
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Zayel resurfaced from his dark dream world, "My past," he said wryly. "Why..." he swallowed and closed his eyes; they were very high up. "Why am I still alive?" he hazarded. "I was stabbed through the chest, and yet I'm still breathing..." At least I am right now. he thought, he might not be after they arrived at their destination. But why? What made him worthy? If it was anything like what his father thought made men worthy, he might as well lean forward against the dragon's spikes now. His grip tightened on the spike infront of him, what did he have to live for really anyway? An embarassing life as a spineless king? My sister. If he didn't return to the kingdom, she would be in danger wouldn't she? Seth seemed hell bent on hurting her just to spite him. Jaw clenched, he decided that was why he'd fight to stay alive. He owed her that much. |
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~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~ Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3 | |
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| Oop | Jul 30 2011, 08:20 PM Post #21 |
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so they scream
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((Sorry if I lapse into present tense. Flare has ruined me.)) So, the two-legged's thoughts teetered on the edge of darkness, did they? At first, Safia huffed in disdain. Self-pity was not an attractive trait. Dragons barely registered pity at all, let alone for themselves. Saying nothing for a moment, she found her thoughts softening, and she sighed, a great rush of hot air blowing back to them. It was pointless to have initiated a conversation with the two-legged if she would only scorn his every word. "Is it not enough simply to be alive? Why must you know the way of it? Yes, you breathe, so take a deep breath. You two-leggeds, always caught up in the details. You must learn to see the bigger picture and forget the pointless things. Appreciate what you have." After such a long bit of speech, Safia took a deep breath herself, as if to demonstrate. "Perhaps," she teased, "if you breathe deeply enough, you'll learn to blow fire." A rumble spread from her chest, a chuckle deep as an earthquake. "Let us land and rest." Landing carefully in a clearing (carefully to avoid tossing Dragon Eyes onto one of her spikes, and also careful not to tear her wings on outreaching branches), Safia allowed the two-legged to dismount, and then laid down, letting her wings droop in fatigue. She had rarely flown so far, and even more rarely made a flight in such a long stretch. "It is strange that your weight is gone now," she mused, watching Dragon Eyes with one stormy silver iris. "Need you anything?" It wouldn't do for the two-legged to be injured or famished when they arrived at the Crag Mountains. He should only be injured if the sage there said that he was a hazard to let live. If that was the case, then Safia would make a nice snack of him, and that would be the end of the issue. Edited by Oop, Aug 1 2011, 11:38 PM.
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| If you're gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks. | |
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| Aeternum Vale | Aug 1 2011, 11:05 PM Post #22 |
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Overworked
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(( lmao, XD)) Zayel sighed, he knew what the dragon meant. He was glad he was alive, it was just....why had the hand of death been so quick to spare him? And twice no less! He ran a hand through his wind tangled hair and took in a deep, fresh breath. There was honestly no sense in over thinking things when the present was so frustratingly perplexing. Here he was being introverted when he had just ridden a dragon! And such a beautiful and magnificent one at that! He smirked, flashing a fanged smile, what were the chances of that? Of course, this sparkiling creature did have a mouth filled with razor teeth and was taking him to a dangerous spine of mountains to decide his fate, but that was the future. Biting into the present and savoring it like a crisp, tangy apple was what he preferred to looking into the uncertain future. He turned his golden gaze upon the dragon and smiled, "No, I'm alright. Thank you. Oh...um..." He bowed deeply, his hair fell around his face like raven's wings. "My name is Zayel, Prince of High Kingdom and son of King Backleroy, what's your name Great Dragon?" His heart fluttered in his chest as he couldn't help wondering if the dragon would crush him with a silvery claw any second. |
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~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~ Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3 | |
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| Oop | Aug 2 2011, 03:39 PM Post #23 |
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so they scream
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Safia's great chest shook the break-bone-hard-ground around her as she chuckled. Well, at least the two-legged had manners. This was not the first time that he had taken great pains to be formal with her. Still, the compliment caused her to roll her shoulders proudly, and she then tucked her aching wings in closer to herself. "I am known as Safia, Moonscales, and Starfire among my kind, sired by Bjark and birthed by Hrafka." She knew that such names would mean little to a two-legged, and even less to one so young. Blinking her thin-clearing-eye-skin, Safia again appraised the two-legged-round-ears once more. Zayel. Did he take no pride in she who birthed him, she wondered. He mentioned only his father. Yet, she did not ask. Two-leggeds had strange ways. "I still believe that Dragon Eyes suits you much better," Safia says with a huff, her stormy-bright-seeing-orbs suddenly feeling much more tired than before. It is nearly time for her to succumb to the dark-quiet-starlit-land. |
| If you're gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks. | |
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| Aeternum Vale | Aug 4 2011, 03:29 AM Post #24 |
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Overworked
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"Well thank you, but I think such a title is a little too grand for someone like me. These gold eyes are one of the reason's people know I'm royalty...it's far more a curse than a blessing when you're...." he began to trail off, "someone like me." He remembered his now long dead friend, Tassa. They had been friends, but Tassa had always insisted that he was less of a man than the prince. And now he was dead because of that belief, and so were the rest of his men. If only he had had the stregnth to turn his horse! Or maybe it wasn't his stregnth. A nagging thought gnawed at his heart, could it not just have been his cowardice weakening his grasp on the reins? He closed his eyes and spoke soft words of rememberence to sooth the souls of the dead, and take his mind off the shadows amongst his thoughts. "Forever amongst the shadows is light, unable to be crushed by unrelenting might. Your hearts are mine to keep so that your families may not weep, at peace amongst the lilies." He murmered each man's name and added honorific titles to the end of each one, like Geist the Brave and Suermar the Strong. He felt better once all this was done, and laid his head amongst the slender grass but felt suddenly gripped by fear. All he could think of was what night terrors would visit him in his sleep. He shuddered, the darkness of the forest did not help the fluttering beat of his heart. What if his dead battalion blamed him for their untimely demises and arose from the dead to tear him to bits in his sleep? He gritted his teeth and tried desperatly not to be reduced to a weeping, freightened puddle; that was certainly not how princes should behave.... |
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~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~ Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3 | |
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| Oop | Aug 7 2011, 10:05 AM Post #25 |
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so they scream
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"It is something to be proud of, little hume," Safia said. When Dragon Eyes went through his strange two-legged-mystic-showing, she watched with one heavy eye. Though she shared not his beliefs, she could respect his time of quiet looking-back-mind-eye. Obviously, whatever had happened deeply troubled him. Safia could not empathize. She'd killed those of her own kind before, pulled them apart with fang, claw, and spike. Of course, she was young and trying to establish a territory of her own, but she felt no remorse. Death was part of life. They were one and the same. As the two-legged said, "Forever amongst the shadows is light," and so are shadows always amongst light. One could not exist without the other. Of course, she did not share this with the boy. He would not heed such words, anyway. When he laid down, though, she hissed in feigned annoyance. "Do you wish to be consumed by a beast, sleeping so far from me? Come here. I promise I shall not eat, nor crush, you." That, and the closer they drew to the sky-piercing-earth-needles, the colder it became. To Safia, who was used to such drastic changes, it felt familiar, but to a two-legged, she doubted that the adjustment would go so smoothly. And as he was in her temporary care, she would do well to be sure he didn't freeze. She extended a wing, inviting Dragon Eyes beneath it. It may have seemed thin, but her star-bright-belly-fire warmed her blood, and her blood coursed through her wings, warming them in turn. Beneath it, he would be safe from harm and freed of the cold. Those two things she had to, to stay in good conscience, offer him. That, and it would keep him from escaping from her during the time of the great-sky-night-eye. She promised the old-crippled-two-legged that she would perform this in thanks, and so she planned to perform it to the best of her abilities. ((Next post, they can get going again. I think that this little slow bit was important, though. Also: Safia)) Edited by Oop, Sep 25 2011, 10:49 AM.
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| If you're gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks. | |
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| Aeternum Vale | Sep 8 2011, 01:21 AM Post #26 |
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Overworked
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Zayel looked up at the great shining dragon. The fearful awe that struck him once more convinced him to believ that sleeping next to such a terrifying beast would cure his fears, and tame his nightmares so he could sleep. But despite her promises he was still fearfully worried and took his time removing his plate shoulders, leggings and gauntlets. When this was done he lay hesitantly next to her at the flank she offered. As soon as he lay next to her, however, his fears melts like ice confronted with dragon-fire. The warmth from her belly on his cold back gave him a rush of euphoria. What had Safia said earlier? Something about being glad to be alive. Right now he could hardly conceal his grin, and stiffle a giggle. He was lying next to a dragon! |
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~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~ Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3 | |
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| Oop | Sep 25 2011, 11:04 AM Post #27 |
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so they scream
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With Dragon Eyes in place, Safia draped her wing over him, and then allowed her silvery-seeing-orbs to close. In the morning, they would resume their trip, and hopefully end it by the following evening. ----- When Safia woke, she first checked to be sure the young prince was still by her side, which he was. How have these creatures survived so long? she mused. No fur nor scales. No fangs nor claws. When she really thought about it, it seemed a mystery. Not many round-ears had the magic of the pointed-ears in them, and so it was a marvel to Safia to think that a creature so weak could last as long as it had. As she waited for Dragon Eyes to waken, she began licking her scales, cleaning them of the dirt of travel. It would still be some time before the bright-orange-sky-eye rose. She was content, though. Her belly still satisfied from the previous day's hunt and warm from the star-bright-belly-fire contained in her, she simply waited, allowing her aching muscles to continue resting. When the two-legged woke, he would likely need to eat and drink. Unlike her kind, the little humes could not consume enough food in one day to last them a week. Weak, she thought, like cockroaches. But persistent like them, too. Once Zayel completed whatever it was a two-legged-round-ears needed to complete, they could leave, and the sooner they continued, the sooner Safia could return to her home. Edited by Oop, Oct 30 2011, 09:51 AM.
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| If you're gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks. | |
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| Aeternum Vale | Oct 3 2011, 01:48 AM Post #28 |
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Overworked
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Zayel awoke. That in itself was a triumph. Not a nightmare had touched him and he felt rested. A sigh flowed softly from his lips as he sat up; the darkness was just beginning to lighten. Running a hand through his hair he brushed out some strands of grass that had nestled there. It was then that the low rumble made him start and look around, before then realizing it had been his stomach. He felt the ghost hand of his father strike his cheek; hunger was not to be shown by a prince unless it was for conquest and triumph. Food was to be entertainment and nothing more. His stomach growled again and Zayel dimly remembered the many days and nights he had gone without food at his father's command. But there was some light in those dark memories. A young maid with cool brown hair that framed her face snuck him bits of food here and there from her own meals. He could still remember the smell of food mingling with the clean scent of her handkerchief that she used to wrap it with. He realized, with an icy chill that ran the length of his spine, that Seth had always looked at her in a manner ill-befitting the court. |
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~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~ Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3 | |
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| Oop | Oct 30 2011, 10:07 AM Post #29 |
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so they scream
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((Terrible. But, here you are!)) When the two-legged awoke, she heard the angry-hungry-belly-noise that came from him, and she felt her chest rumble and throat tickle with laughter. A strange noise, that was. And that it so surprised the very two-legged that it came from amused her greatly. He must not have been very aware of himself, to be so startled by a sound. "Go find yourself nourishment, Dragon Eyes. I shall wait. Come back to me when you are ready to leave." To her own astonishment, Safia found her spite of the little two-legged-round-ears much harder to produce this morning. Dragons had always been known for their volatile and lasting tempers, and Safia had never proved that she was exempt. In fact, she had a rather short temper. However, when she found herself approaching this situation with curiosity about the two-legged, rather than simply hatred, she found it almost... enjoyable. Though short-tempered, dragons, by nature, respected wisdom, and many sought to acquire it. To Safia, knowing about the two-leggeds who spread across the land like wild fire seemed a valuable well to tap into. She'd never much mused over the humes before, and even by a dragon's standards would be considered anti-social, so this trip, though daunting and uncomfortable in its circumstance, somewhat intrigued her. She realized that all of this meant something bigger, but she simply didn't know what. Edited by Oop, Nov 16 2011, 07:31 AM.
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| Aeternum Vale | Dec 27 2011, 02:57 AM Post #30 |
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Overworked
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Zayel stood up quickly and cast a quick glance at the dragon out of the corner of his eye; she didn't seem nearly as frightening now that he had slept next to her, but her attitude seemed to have become softer as well. It was strange, he thought as he headed into the bushes, that the latest being to show him compassion was a dragon. He brushed aside some branches that nicked the back of his hand; the only time he needed gauntlets and he didn't have them. He pressed on despite the sting of the gash and he soon came upon a throng of birds chattering in a bush. Perfect--if he had had the proper equipment to catch them with. After frustrated gesticulations he scattered the birds from their happy perches and then began to prod around the tiny clearing for possible edible plants. The search became rather lackluster when he realized he remembered almost none of the herbology he had been taught. He sat restlessly beneath a rotting tree covered in moss for a few moments before he settled down and calmed himself from the edge of hysteria. Besides, he had more pressing issues like his gnawing hunger and the burning sensation of his neck. His hands ran to his throat, this painful feeling had come on so suddenly and-- what was this? Had he been wearing a necklace before? And then like that he forgot about it and was left wondering why he was touching his neck, or sitting under a rotted tree for that matter. He got up, brushed off the confusion like it was nothing, and headed back to the dragon empty handed. Perhaps if he had turned around and looked once more he would have noticed it....long diagonal gashes in the tree that he had been sitting under. They were old and faded but most recognizably that of a dragon, and one with large talons. Following his course of destruction back to Safia he made it back without much problems but for a few more scratches. "I couldn't find much but moss." |
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~On Sporadic Hiatus Until Late December~ Bots- 0 Aeternum Vale- 3 | |
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