Swamp

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

Deadly Wildernesses surround the habitable locations:

[[deleted user]]

Anala had been exploring the wilderness, a hunger to be somewhere new, though now because of it she was lost. So maybe her sense of direction wasn't exactly polished, but she had good instincts. Walking though the mushy grounds, Anna had to get a good tug on her feet in order to continue moving, her shoes proceeding to stick to the wetlands. Blowing a stray strand of silvery blonde hair out of her face, she continued on, frustration already blossoming inside of her. When it came to living with four elder brothers, patience was not inherited in the family. Though the sight was not so bad. The water reflected the state of the trees, every leaf gently blowing in the wind as well as the evergreen ferns. Stopping to take a closer look, her foot was suddenly engulfed in a puddle of bubbling mud and water. A flicker of panic washed over her eyes as she tried to yank her foot out, but no such luck.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

Shinrai rested in the swamps. He liked being plated with mud and grime, to hide the whiteness and bleak paleness of his scales. He rested calmly, chest heaving into the air, like some gigantic bubble of dirt about to burst, but sinking back towards the ground. He heard a variety of squishing and muck shifting, so he turned one red eye towards the noise, barely visibly in the filth. A girl, fairly young, had come traipsing through a land of quicksand. They got more foolish by the minute, he thought to himself, as he lifted his head slowly. "You are stuck," he pointed out, pleasantly.

[[deleted user]]

"Thanks for pointing that out," She grumbled, unfazed by the sight of a dragon.
As a child, her brothers held competitions and dares, most of which included dragons. Ignoring the pink eye of the dragon now lazily set on her, she grappled the tree nearest to her, sturdy enough, and pulled herself onto the thick trunk, forcing her foot thankfully along with her shoe out of the mud, while her momentum pushed her far higher up than Anna had anticipated, her arms hugging a branch while her legs were caught on another. Her mother would have gotten out a wooden spoon to strike her knuckles if she caught her like this, acting out in an unladylike and 'tomboy' manner.
"And now I am not," She answered the dragon, satisfied, though she would have preferred a smoother landing stance. Dropping down from the tree, enjoying the thrill of the fall, Anala landed in a crouch, her muscles tense. Easily jumping back up, she leaned against the trunk, intrigued.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

He nodded and watched her struggle in the mud, the earth up to her calf. He lowered his head and closed one eye, as if -quite literally- half asleep. She staggered and stumbled, tangling herself in the trees and covered in mud, but he had to admit that she was determined -and hadn't asked him for help in escaping her predicament. Carefully, he extended one claw towards her, as if completely curious. He flicked her back into the mud, on her butt. "And now you are again!" he chortled, quite pleased.

[[deleted user]]

Growling at this, she slapped down at the mud, her patience wearing thin. With a smug smile spreading over her lips, despite the situation, she kicked up mud, flicking puddles of it onto the dragon.
"Whoopsie," She laughed, with a quirk to her brow, though her arms and legs were still struggling to stay up. Finding her legs now straight, with her feet quite literally anchored to the bottom, she let out a calm sigh, before launching herself out and landing on hardened ground, too near the dragon for her taste, knowing that they were unpredictable, and that she hoped she hadn't angered him... at least too much anyway.
Kicking off the creeping cold of the water, and the mud slimed across her legs and arms, she wagged it all off with an easy flick of her body. Wearing a pleasant smile, she moved back towards the tree, out of the dragon's reach.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

Shinrai smiled, like she was some toy that was amusing him greatly. "Nice try at a growl, but it needs to be something more like..." He let loose a fearsome growl at her, then looked at the mud she sprinkled on... his muddy hide. He shrugged it off. He felt nothing. "Whoopsie?" He asked, unfamiliar with the word. He watched her struggle to somehow extract herself, then hissed his tongue like a serpent, right in her face. "You're a clever human, girl," he announced, as she kicked and padded at her soaked body, smiling as she staggered away, "But obviously not clever enough to know that dragons can move." He moved closer, just to make her uncomfortable. Being near someone who couldn't see his oddities? He felt more comfortable than ever before in his lifetime.

[[deleted user]]

"Oh please, like anybody doesn't know that dragons can move," She laughed, her voice lightly humored, "Don't take me as a girl with a head that belongs to a caveman,"
Wearing a smile on her lips as she watched the dragon move closer, it's scales rippling in the sun, she took this in stride, and seated herself closer as well, her legs sprawled out in front of her, just barely touching the dragon's claw.
"Whatever you'll do, it won't scare me," She replied, stubbornly. Girls at her village would have ran at just the sight of a dragon, though Anala found this situation intriguing and was raised by her manner lacking brothers. This was the first dragon that wasn't angered by her presence, though most of the time she would be climbing on their tails, or throwing splattered food. What? A dare is a dare, and she was up for anything that included a reward. Twirling her white blonde hair into a bun, something that got her hair out of the way, she watched the dragon with an expectant expression.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"You were trying to walk away," he pointed out, curiously tilting his head. "Why would a girl's head belong on a man's body, whether he dwelt in caves or not?" He was just trying to be as confusing as dragonly possible.
He laid down on his stomach, filthy claws extended towards her feet. He was surprised she used his claws as a foot stool, and almost laughed at the fact.
"Who said I ever wanted to scare you?" Hmm, did that imply she was already scared? He wondered. His head lowered down to his claws and he looked at her, eye to eye. Most girls ever would have run at the sight of him, leaving their feet in the quicksand with their boots. This situation was indeed intriguing. This was the first living being that wasn't abhorrent of his appearance. Then again, he was completely stricken with mud, so she wouldn't be abhorred. Yet. "Why do humans do that to their hair?" he wondered at her bun.

[[deleted user]]

"Usually girls do it to make it look nice," She answered, then frowned added with a shrug,"But I do it to get it out of the way,"
Crossing her legs, she watched the dragon her eyes caught a metallic blue silver as the sun's rays splashed on her, drying up the mud into flaky pieces. Taking this opportunity, she rubbed her legs and arms raw until the dirt was completely off of her, leaving her skin a bit tinted on the pink side, but clean. Focusing her attention back on the dragon, she rolled her eyes at the first statement, knowing that someway he was probably trying to confuse her, but oh he didn't know just how often this happened in her house. She dealt with annoyances and bullies too often for her good, though she wouldn't exactly name this dragon either one.
"And I know you know that the caveman comment was just a saying," Anala continued on, a sly smile already taking place of the sweetness it had once held,"I never walk away from a... challenge to tell you the truth,"
Anna had seen the posed threat in the dragon's light red eyes, knowing almost for sure that she would have ran away or screamed her throat sore. But no, she was known for being the strange girl, doing things that were meant for boys. Anala was different, but she liked it that way.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"It looks worse," he said bluntly, laying down and stretching out. He was casually insulting. Infuriating.
He watched her carefully, as he would a mechanical wind up toy performing some dance. He had no shame in his attention, but his own dirty skin was starting to flake and dry, chipping. He hadn't noticed, yet, or he would have immediately fled. For a moment, he'd thought he'd confused her.
"A saying, yes, but what a foolish thing to call humans. Cave men. Dragons were here long past your kind can remember. We were there when the creator formed the earth. Imagining yourselves as no more than monkeys is a sure way to insist that monkeys you are, and monkeys you remain. It is an excuse to deny your conscience, a story to tell other humans so they will not feel accountable for their actions to anybody. Not even the creator. It is the truth that all dragons know. Humans are foolish creatures."
The dragons had a strict faith that focused on a creator who blessed them among beasts, blessing humans as well, in their strange, gangly way. "You never walk away from a challenge?" he wondered, "Foolish of you."

[[deleted user]]

"Oh why thank you, the oh so ever kind dragon," She aired out, a sarcastic tone to her voice, "Because I need fashion tips from a dragon,"
Flopping back down on the dry trail, her head cushioned by a pillow of leaves and moss, she looked up at the sky, listening half heartedly to the great speech of the silvery dragon, no doubt wearing a stern look. If dragons could have looks, anyway. The clouds sluggishly passed by, following after a tail of another. Looking back up at the dragon, still full of the noble air around himself, Anala couldn't help but push herself up from her lying stance and roll her arm into a half curtsy.
"You don't?" She countered, a now glazed over boredom taking over what was left of her excitement, "That's rather... dull, don't you think?"
Anala had a way of life like she was riding it. She wasn't going to let it screw her over, she was going to stay in control, unraveling life on her own. Anna didn't need anybody to help her or protect her. Sure damsels in distress were princesses in fairy tales, but really, Anna felt that princesses who saved themselves were worth it.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"You're welcome." He eyed her hair in obvious distaste, definitely picking up on the sarcasm, but discarding it. "Obviously you do."
He definitely did have looks on his face. He was also trying to -in his stubborn way- enlighten her. He was oblivious to the sun and her obvious ignoring of his magnificent speech. Until, of course, she absolutely discarded it and went for the challenges instead. He sighed. "If you were challenged to do something dangerous to yourself and others, you would step down from it. There are battles you must fight, and battles to petty to fight, and others that are already too late to fight for."

[[deleted user]]

"Lucky for you, I don't mind what I look like," She murmured, her voice allowing to switch back to the soft quality that it usually held, "At least too much anyway,"
Dropping her gaze back to the ground, her air of fiery energy and excitement was now drained out of her. The dragon did hit home with the hair insult though. Girls back at the village made fun of her for being different. She came from a line of beautiful women, though she was 'ruining' it, but maybe she was. She had delicate features, fair skin, and light eyes that could entrance anybody, these features that would drive men to run for her hand in marriage if not for her sometimes reckless behavior and strong belief in fighting for herself. Anala was only glad that she wasn't changing who she was to be a stereotypical girl that couldn't fight her own battles. Looking back up, her eyes now drained of the sunlight turning into a deep blue, matching the color of the ocean at the heart of a storm, she responded to the dragon, surprising herself that her voice took on such a serious quality, different from her usual soft and sweet aspects, "I would never endanger my loved ones, or commit a suicide battle. The challenges I was talking about were mostly for ones that could change a life and add in a seasoning of risk,"
Looking away with a bite to her lip, she fell back into her lying position, a waiting wince from another insult from the proud dragon.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"You don't?" he asked, sticking his face over hers and looking right down at her. "Ah, I see."
He rolled over onto his back next to her, mud sloshing all over her. "Sorry!" his voice contained utter regret and embarrassment. If she was beautiful, he knew not. He knew no humans. He couldn't even read her emotions as she sat and stewed. "Ah. I see."

He sighed. "You're an odd one."

[[deleted user]]

A trickle of mud washed over her, pronouncing the wince as the cold seeped into her, causing a trail of goosebumps to jump over her arms and legs. Jumping out from her lying position, she cradled her cold arms underneath one another, but despite the circumstances, Anala was smiling at this.
"Ah you see?" She repeated, a laugh to her voice, "I guess I could say the same about you, dragon. But you're the first I really met versus the others that I may or may not have... angered or irritated,"
Shaking off the water droplets of mud from her, almost like a dog would with it's fur, Anna walked over to where the sunlight was, bathing in the warmth once again while keeping an eye on the dragon, still wondering what his name was. It was tiring to have to only call him by what he was. Rubbing off the mud with a pointed look at him though with a soft smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she walked back to her place this time against the tree as so he wouldn't be able, or hopefully wouldn't be able to spill mud over her. Again.

[[deleted user]]

Ilsa?

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

((Sorry, I'm watching a family movie.))

Shinrai looked at her with utter remorse, like he was being scolded, which he was actually quite a lot of the time, despite what he tried. "I could light a fire for you," he offered, "I truly could. I'm no expert in washing human clothes. Why do you people bother with them? Dragons don't and we're happy enough." He sighed, "Well, I'm not angry or irritated, though you're probably at least one of those."
He shook his own scales knowingly, without realizing it revealing their true color, under the filth. She flopped next to him, and as she did, his wing slipped in the mud, spilling mud over her. Again.

[[deleted user]]

As another wash of mud came upon her, thanks to the dragon, she couldn't help but... laugh.
"My goodness, dragon," She spluttered, adding a hand to aid her stomach from the giggles, "I didn't think it was possible to meet somebody actually clumsier than me. Though now that I think of it, I'm now worried about you when you fly," Returning to her place in the sunlight, Anala decided on just staying there, sprawled on the dusty trail, letting the mud dry on her, it's flaky pieces curling up from the slick mud.
And there was a good reason why this dragon wasn't, well, irritated with her. Her encounters with previous dragons were usually with her, doing the dares of her annoyingly foolish brothers, climbing up on their tail, and on their spine making whatever noises that were commanded of them, or necessary flips before she got her pay.
"Maybe you should move away from the mud and water," She began, shooing the beast away from the area remotely wet, "Juuuuuuuust a thought,"
Though there was still mud on his wings, the light silvery color was entrancing, especially shining in the sunlight, glinting softly though bewitchingly.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"My goodness, human," he said, "You try flying and see how clumsy you are. The dirt is not my natural element, biped." He snorted, as if slightly offended, though if she could see through the mud, she would have seen the scales around his eyes flushing pink with embarrassment. He kept his distance, as if ashamed at his slipping wings, shaking his head slightly. More flakes of earth scratched off.
He knew nothing of her life of trickery, only that she didn't seem at all clumsy, for a human. Of course, he'd never much seen humans close up before, and never studied them, so this was an opportunity he took advantage of.
At her words of moving from the mud and water, he jolted up, quickly layering himself with more earth. "It's- It's comfortable this way," he said, a bit too quickly.
The silvery light was quickly smothered.

[[deleted user]]

"I try flying?" She asked, still attempting on stifling her laughs, "God I wish. The closest to flying I can get is climbing. But it's never as satisfying,"
Shrugging at this, she looked back up at the sky, imagining just how it really felt to be airborne, and fly away. You would never have to worry about responsibilities, or chores, or any ladies smacking her knuckles for acting out in a 'foolish' way. All the women that were always fussing over her went on and on and on about a husband, but goodness she'd meet her end if Anna was ever anchored by a man. She wanted to be free in life, and anyways, se supposed it would be better to marry a man whom she loved. Looking back at the dragon, she stared at his face, seeing an almost tint of pink on his scales, matching his eyes. With a sly smile she pointed out,
"Are you... blushing?" She asked, while walking back over the the dragon to get a closer look. The giggles then bubbled out of her when she saw that indeed the dragon was blushing, what for, she was uncertain. "So dragon, what's your name?"

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"Well, if you didn't mind mud, I could-" he stopped, as she dazed off into her own mind and he sighed. He'd always been rejected. If he was as accepted and pushed and paid attention to as she was, he'd be a thrilled dragon. He couldn't even dream of a female. Then, he jerked up suddenly, head hitting a few branches in the lower canopies of the forest. "I am not blushing!" he demanded, scales going pinker and pinker. He felt even more ashamed when she burst out laughing. Like it was hilarious to see a dragon conveying any emotion. Shinrai was ticked off, and a bit annoyed. "Shinrai, Dying Shamed."

[[deleted user]]

"Wait you could what?" She then snapped back to his attention, a smile growing wider as she watched the dragon try to deny his bashful coloring. Walking closer, she crossed her arms with a quirk to her brow, "Well Shinrai, I'm Anala, and you've still got a branch balancing in your head,"
Back at the village, stories and tales of vicious beasts killing humankind with a breath of fire were always famous and popular, but she never believed any of them. Dragons had never frightened her, more like interested. And now Shinrai proved her point, though it was still strange to her to see a dragon blush. Never had she imagined any of their conversation would happen, but she liked him.
"And as a stubborn human I demand you finish your earlier sentence," She drove on, a fire in her eyes.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"I could fly you once, quickly," he volunteered, shifting uncomfortably, almost wishing he could call back his offer. She teased him too much about his pink scales. "Well, Anala, you're rude and infuriating," he pointed out, carefully plucking the branch from his head.
He had finished his earlier sentence, but he found her insistence overbearing and attitude strangely annoying, even if he had to admire it. Tales of dragon-slaying humans abounded wherever he went, people hunting dragons for (fake) magical properties or their hides. He didn't like their conversation much, but then again, he did.

[[deleted user]]

"Well, Shinrai, you're strange and awfully quick in reading me," She countered back, finding this dragon too quick to describe her. He really knew nothing of her and he was already drawing to conclusions whereas Anala was barely scratching the surface of just who this dragon is. Shrugging at this, she looked up with a shyness though wonder. Should she trust this dragon in allowing herself to actually fly? In other cases, the choice of flying was something she would hurl herself at. But Shinrai... Anna looked back at the dragon, and for the first time, her eyes held a soft fright to it.
"I really hope you don't take this opportunity to kill me," She hastily responded, though her tight muscles were probably already giving away her sudden unease, "Do you really mean it though? I thought I was infuriating and rude,"
Even though she may have been frightened, cracking jokes always soothed her. But this was something major. Absolutely huge. She could trust Shinrai. Hopefully.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"Shinrai," he corrected lightly. He was blunt, and not at all very well versed in niceties and blabbering on and on to make a point. "I thought you just gave so much away," he teased, as she seemed a bit annoyed at being called rude and annoying. Maybe because he was hitting a mark somewhere. At least, he hoped he wasn't. It would be awful to find himself already feeling friendship to a friend who would always be rude and annoying. After consideration, he only hoped that he wasn't as rude and annoying as she was. He seemed nervous, but he nodded. "If I wanted you dead," he began, I would have thrown you in the quicksand. Oh, wait." He smiled to himself, like he just remembered. "Well, he said, I mean it. And if you're infuriating and rude, well, what does that make me?" He might be able to trust this girl. With luck. And hope.

[[deleted user]]

[oh sorry that g was just a typo]

"You kind of did throw me in quicksand pal," She grumbled, plunking herself further away. Lying back down on the trail, the dust already collecting on her shorts and shirt. "It makes you vacuous. And a blushing dragon,"
So the dragon wasn't serious on taking her flying. Great. Shinrai had gotten her hopes up just to slap her with another insult. Anala had never gotten a comment saying that she was rude. Yes, she was impulsive, tomboyish, irritating at times, and too proud of her own good, but never rude. Strange. Letting her eyes wander back up at the endless void of the sky, her heart desiring to be up there, a bright light in the endless depth of blue and white. But that was never going to happen, was it? Or at least not too soon. So she was in the dragonbond academy, but she was going to have to find a dragon that was wiling to trust her as much as she was for the dragon. All that was left was to escape without word getting back to her mother or father. Her yearning for flying right now was too great. Closing her eyes at this, she flopped an arm over her sight.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"Well," he said, "I mean it. And if you're infuriating and rude, well, what does that make me?" He might be able to trust this girl. With luck. And hope.

"It was a joke, to lighten the tension," he said, inching slightly away from er as well. "Brainless? What an insult. And have you never been embarrassed, you ridiculous human? What right have you to ridicule a dragon when you know nothing of us?" Miffed, he wrapped his tail around his hind legs.
He was totally serious on taking her flying. He had completely said he was serious on his offer. She was just chickening out, now. He sighed to himself. "If you don't want to fly, I won't make you," he muttered. "I'd best be going, now, there's supposedly some lesson to be learned up at the academy." He got up, shaking the mud off his hide, and thought he'd better take a bath.

[[deleted user]]

"Shinrai," She then said with all honesty, "It was just a joke, and anyways it was directed towards your knowledge of human. Human teenaged girls,"
Squaring her shoulders, Anala lifted herself up into a sitting position, her feet tapping on the trail, obviously restless. Lifting her head up then to meet the dragon's eye, her brows furrowed into a slight frown, "You actually mean it? You'll actually take me, you know, flying?"
Squealing at this, she jumped off at the ground, and ran up to the dragon, with pleading eyes and a begging smile, one only used for things she was excited or panhandling for, ignoring the flying mud, though most of it missed her anyway. Then stopping at the mention of an academy.
"You're going to the academy as well?" She murmured aloud, mostly to herself, "I'm supposed to go there too,"
The idea of meeting other dragons were interesting enough, though trusting them was a bit of an uneasy thing for her. Trust was hard, Anna usually only relied on herself most of the way. But she felt that she could rely on Shinrai.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"I know nothing of humans, teenaged, girl, or male." He sniffed, lifting his head up into the air, as if prideful. He obviously wasn't, though.
He turned slightly, still flicking mud from his shoulders, watching her tap her feet and shift around, pretty much shaking and trembling. "Of course I mean it. Why on earth would I extend an offer otherwise?" He frowned, confused.
He jumped back when she started running at him, as if scared she'd draw a knife or something, although he was only startled. What sane human charged an adult dragon? He arched his back, sitting up straight. "The Dragonbond Academy, yes. It promotes peace. Or, it did. I was leaving, ever since the incident..."
He didn't trust anyone at first meeting, but he was very comfortable with her.

[[deleted user]]

"Jeez Shinrai, I wasn't stampeding towards you," She laughed, showing both hands in surrender,"Just excited. So can we? Fly? Ohmygosh I'm going to fly, as in actually up in the air. Wow this is going to be the first time I'm ever going to fly. Oh. My. Gosh,"
So maybe Anala was a rambler when she was excited, obviously shown as she continued to rant, throwing in probably unintelligible questions at Shinria, while adding just how she had only ever watched a dragon really fly, while throwing hand gestures in the air, all the while a pronounced glint in her eyes, and sweet curve up her lips. What was flying really like? What was it like to be airborne. Questions on if she were to fly, or if she could die were already forgotten. This was really happening, wasn't it?
"Wait, so now? You're gonna fly me now right?" She asked, a jump in her gait as she paced the dusty trail,"Right?"

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"You were," he pointed out, smiling slowly, then laughing as she began to rant about flying. It was almost as excited as he'd been on his first flight, as an adolescent. "Yes, you're going to fly. Ohyourgosh, you're going to fly, as in actually up in the air. Oh. Your. Gosh!" He laughed.
She was quite the rambler, as he'd pointed out. He answered each question with as much patience as he could muster, which was a lot at this moment, since he was feeling happy and nice. "Girls talk a lot," he muttered, between answers, though he had to admit that, for a human, her dancing hands and prancing gestures, as well as her face, were kind of adorable.
"Why not?" he wondered, "You want to fly right now, so all you have to do is hold on tight. There's no danger if you yourself are safer than I."

[[deleted user]]

"Yes!" She laughed. Without hesitating, she launched herself up a tree, using her momentum to finally crawl up a branch right overhead Shinrai, and landed fairly lightly on the dragon's back.
"Oh, was I supposed to ask before I..?"She asked sheepishly, a worried crease to her forehead, though the sensation of the shuttering scales underneath her feet did tend to grab at her attention. Walking forward, her feet sipping until she landed painfully, for her at least, in a sitting position on the dragon. Swallowing a well needed yelp, allowing only a squeak to follow out, she looked up at the sky with a hungry expression, knowing that it was their destination.
"So one question, how exactly do I hold on without falling to my death?"Anna quickly asked, trying to make it sound casual, though it was most definitely a well needed question, though her smile never wavered.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

He stood still while she monkeyed about, finally getting on his back. "No need to ask," he clarified, "I was waiting for ages for you to stop asking your questions and actually climb up." He could practically feel her worry based from her against his back. "Are you quite all right? I supposed you might not know how to mount. I don't know how either, having never ridden a dragon," he teased, squirming slightly and stretching out his huge, white wings to either side of him. "You asked that sometime during your rampant questioning," he pointed out. "But, if you need a reminder," the membranes of his wings quivered, catching the breeze, "Hold onto my horns, scales, and cinch your legs around my middle. Just don't fall."

[[deleted user]]

"Alright, got it," Anala answered, taking on a tight enough hold on Shinrai's scales and horns. Barely containing herself, she waited for the dragon to jump up from the ground and into the air, excited on just waiting for the experience to come. Anna looked at the rippling muscles underneath the dragon's scales, the silvery coloring underneath the sunlight once again, the mud cleanly shaken off.
"Just wondering, Shinra," She started again with a joke to her voice, "How are your reflexes? If I were to fall..."
Though surprisingly, she trusted Shinrai, and she knew deep in her gut that she wouldn't fall. It was weird to trust somebody she had just met, much less a dragon, but this felt right. It felt that they were meant to be friends. And she liked that quite a lot.

[might be on and off sorry]

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

((SOkay.))

He laughed slightly. If he'd had skin, she would have been pinching him dreadfully, but he was absolutely weightless. In fact, he probably wouldn't have noticed if she did fall...
"My reflexes are fine, Anala, perfectly fine. Just make sure you scream on the way down." He smiled slightly, hoping he wasn't scaring her horribly.
He wasn't sure about friends, but he was hopeful, as he'd never really had a friend of his own. Surprisingly, he found himself really liking talking and pleasing her.
He let the wind fill his wings, billowing, strong, sturdy, gorgeous. He didn't jump, jerking into the air. He glided slowly upwards, gently moving his wings to catch the best of the air, only flapping slightly, so as not to jerk her from her seat on his back.

[[deleted user]]

She could feel the slight shudder in Shinrai's form though that was the only hint that they were now in the air, gliding upwards in ease and smoothly. Looking down Anna watched the ground grow further and further away from her, the trees turning into the sizes of broccoli [she despised them by the way], and the wetlands all became just a reflection. It was beautiful, and something that she couldn't simply tear her eyes away from.
"What is wrong with you Shinrai," She began, her voice all but a soft murmur, "If I were a dragon I would never return to land,"
The wind was now rippling around her, ribboning in her loosely curled strands, and between her fingers. Everything was refreshing and invigorating, something that she felt that she could never get enough.
"So," She started, already a mischievous smile showing even in her words,"Anything.... thrilling you can do in the air?"

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

He kept his eyes focused on the horizon, trying to tell if she was about to fall or anything. He'd hardly ever let anyone ride him, and he was always terrified they'd fall off and he'd get put to blame. He, by the way, also detested broccoli. Shinrai's white reflection shone up at him from one of the lakes and he faltered, if only for a moment.
At her words of, 'wrong with you', he visibly flinched in the air. Then he realized the context and sighed. "You who view the world at such a close distance can see the details, while we the Dragons have always been secluded high in the air, seeing only the vast, cumulative beauty. It's a rare pleasure to be alone and close to the painting that is the world."
He paused for a moment. "Your hair came undone. Are you cold- Oh." She wanted to do something... thrilling? "I'm not sure it would be safe for you..."

[[deleted user]]

"Safe for me?" She repeated, taking it as an insult,"Come on Shinrai, I want to have some fun. And I can definitely take it. Need I remind you, I'm what you consider humans to be reckless,"
Anala then watched as her hair ribbon flew away from her unfurling hair, whipped though the air and out of reach. She didn't try to take it back, it was something that held her together, showing that she was cool and collected, which most of the time she wasn't. Anna was glad it escaped from her, showing her that now it was her time for freedom, and she was going to take it.
"And no I'm not cold, thanks for asking," She smiled then added,"Such a sweetie!"
Though Shinrai's point made her mind go spinning at his remark. Dragons in the air was like humans stuck on land. Interesting, she never thought about it that way. This was where they truly belonged, and on land it was the same for humans. But for Anala, being able to switch between the two sounded more for her.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"You're rude, annoying, and reckless!" he chortled, "Anala, you are a fun human." He did a barrel roll.
The ribbon furled out, far out, into the distance, a pale streak of blue. Shinrai dove after it. "Hold on!" He snatched it in his claws, likely shredding it, and probably nearly unseating her. "Cold now?" His tone wasn't so caring as mischievous, as he soared to higher altitudes. It was fun to fly without a care, which he seldom did, as if swimming, weightless. He spun through the crowd of clouds, piercing them like an arrow.

[[deleted user]]

"It's like you love me already," She laughed as she clutched the dragon's scales and horns knowing that something along the lines of speed or a flip was going her way. Looking down the air whipped around them, the thrill and excitement rushing through her as they barreled through throngs of clouds, the invigorating cold a fresh lash of freedom and hope.
"No way," She responded, "And Shinra, you're a fun dragon,"
The ground seemed so far away, it was like a whole other world, with just Shinrai and her, riding air like it was a race. Everything right then seemed to fit in so perfectly, her smiles and the familiar feel of the dragon's scales held tightly in her small but long fingers. Closing her eyes, she allowed the feel of the wind to take her away, her lashes fluttering while the curve of her cheek widened into a ear to ear grin.

It was like she belonged somewhere for the first time. She wasn't the lanky, tomboyish girl among the others in dressed in laces and pink. She wasn't the smallest among her brothers. She was Anala, and she loved it.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"I don't love anything," he said quickly, but chuckled slightly. He sighed and glided above the clouds, as if they were floating over shifting snow. "Not at all cold? All right. I am? Thank you." He spun and spiraled over the clouds softly, circling. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to slowly lower towards the ground, riding the drafts, gliding and slowly seeping downwards. For the first time, flying felt like freedom. Because he could feel the freedom oozing from Anala. The mud flew from his scales, and he shone, pale and bright, beautiful. For the first time, he belonged. He wasn't an outcast. Not a pariah. A silvery tear slipped down his ancient cheek.

[[deleted user]]

"Well Shinrai, I'll be the first then," She smirked, though lessened her smile at the though of Shinrai not loving anything.
Nothing at all? Didn't family mean anything to the dragons? Though she knew it wasn't her place to ask these questions, at least not now anyway. Knowing that tension between two were creeping on then, she switched the topic, this something that she mastered in. Looking down, the land below them was unfamiliar to her, a maze of slithered trees and lakes all foreign to her. Crinkling her brows at this, she studied this, wanting to memorize every curve and pattern. It was magnificent, something that she yearned to paint. The colors were all there, fitting together like a puzzle. She leaned on her elbows on Shingrai at this, staring in awe where they were now. This was what life was supposed to be like, new, fresh, and dazzling. Her journey would start here when she became of age to travel alone. Anna's mother maybe could shield her away for now, but not for long.

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

"All right, Anala," he said, feeling a bit more comfortable. He couldn't see her facial expressions, luckily, but he could almost hear them in her voice.
He loved nothing because nothing loved him. Family meant nothing when the black desert dragons spawned an albino. It meant that no mate would take him, no dragon whatsoever, because his genetics were just too flawed. Even among the white air dragons, he was outcast, for he was a fire dragon, and his eyes were still different. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was close to the ground, his stomach tickled by the tree tops. "We're nearing ground," he pointed out, leaning back and extending his feet to grip the ground.

[[deleted user]]

[Guess it ended since we left the swamp right?]

[Ilsa, Veratri, Ember, Nigethion, Shinrai, Anya, Adara]

((Where to now?))

[[deleted user]]

[I'll message you sorry I'll be on and off]

[Mr. Flame]

((anyone wanna rp?))

[[deleted user]]

[I'm in the tunnels in the human territory if you want to join but you should ask KT]

[Mr. Flame]

((KT?))