Post by Zorayda on Oct 7, 2011 0:27:17 GMT -5
[12:07:13 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing sighed, pulling his head out from his curled-up posture, looking out of the mouth of the small, secluded cave he had found on a small cliffside, slightly hidden by the leafy canopy of the forest below. He looked out at the clear blue sky, dotted with a few small clouds, the trees rippling in a faint breeze. It was a perfect day for flying, and the yellow-scaled dragon was seriously considering it...but right now, he felt too depressed to do much of anything.
He had been forced into a self-imposed exile from the Sea Clan, his birth home, after several dragons had attempted to kill, the 'winged freak', as he was often called, only just escaping. It had been a few days since he had left, flying aimlessly, wishing he could go back and see his mother, Aimara...the only Sea Dragon who cared about him, one last time, but knew his return would be to his death as well.
Nevertheless, the loneliness and complete solitude was starting to get to him, leaving him craving his mother's embrace, her soft voice...and leaving him in no mood to fly, as he often liked to do. So he just curled back up, hoping to get a brief morning nap in...maybe he would fly this afternoon.
[12:16:52 AM] Kelly: Zorayda's bright eyes flickered between her eyelids as she dreamed of flying over the sea, her birdlike talons skimming the salty surface of the sea. Fish darted away from the dragoness on instinctive impulse, avoiding the avian predator. She grinned to herself as salty flecks of foam touched the feathered scales of her light underbelly. This was life as she knew it. This was her own paradise.
She could just see the outline of her younger sister with her sharp eyes when a sudden interruption made the colors of the sunset bleed together, and then vanish completely. Confused and half-conscious, she opened her eyes to the real world. Her eyes blurred with the residue of leftover sleepiness as a vague yellowish shape appeared before her, curled up on the craggy floor of her favorite hideaway cave. That wasn't right...
Blinking, she shuffled and stood up. Her eyes came into focus and she saw a dragon... or what she thought was a dragon.
It was brightly colored, with yellow and silver scales, big, leathery--and feathery--wings tucked against its back, with a serpentine, unfeathered tail. From its rougher and less fine-featured appearance, it looked to be male... but the dragon was unlike any she had ever seen. Even his front claws were different from hers, with a longer 'dew claw' that made it look like the dexterous fingers of monkey paws. After an initial instant of shock, Zorayda cautiously approached him. She realized that he was between her and the exit, blocking her escape. Her feathered immediately puffed in indignance and self-defense.
"Stranger, why are you here in my cave?" she demanded more forcefully than she meant. His presence and obviously larger size intimidated her, especially since he seemed to purposefully prevent her exit.
[12:22:53 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing could have sworn he left a few scales behind when he leapt into the air at a voice behind him, from deeper in the cave. Yelping and backing away rapidly out of instinct, moving into the morning sunlight as he left the cave, he quickly tried to hurry out an apology.
"I-I'm sorry, miss! I thought this was empty!" he stammered, cursing himself for not checking the dark depths of the den for other dragons. He was in trouble now, and he knew. Flying away was pointless...in the time it would take him to spread his wings and gain enough life to take off, the dragoness...he assumed by the voice it was female, unable to see into the depths of the cave...although he could see an indistinct shape in there, would have him pinned down and at her mercy.
"I can leave," he said meekly, trying to avoid a confrontation. "I'll find somewhere else..." he added, hoping she would let him go, not really sure what to expect, although years of verbal and physical abuse by the Sea Clan had left him expecting something along those lines.
[12:28:54 AM] Kelly: Zorayda's feathers smoothed slowly as the dragon spoke, her theory of his gender correct. He seemed to immediately put himself into a submissive pose, and he made it clear that he meant no harm. Tilting her head curiously, she stepped into the dim light and came a little closer. This strange dragon seemed very skittish... With him facing her, she could see him more clearly. His eyes were much the same color as hers, only with odd slits for pupils instead of the 'normal' round, and there were... long, pointed growths coming from his head.
"That's all right..." she finally answered, sitting down. "You just frightened me, is all. My name is Zorayda. What brings you here?" she asked politely. She was honestly curious about this very strange-looking dragon. He wasn't of the Sea Clan... but he wasn't of the Air Clan either. What was he?
"Are you from around here?" Zorayda added. She'd never seen any of his kind before and wondered if he had travelled from afar or something like that.
[12:38:55 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing back off a couple more steps as the dragoness got up, moving closer, to where he could actually see her, at which point he paused. Partially because of the looming cliff-edge close behind him, and partially out of curiosity for the dragoness in front of him.
Darwing had always known he was different, the Sea Clan were more serpentine in looks, with fins instead of wings, and smaller, more loosely-spaced scales, obviously more suited to swimming beneath the waves, completely unable to fly like he could. But this dragoness was completely different. She was smaller than him by a fair measure, seeming very slender as well. What peaked Darwing's curiosity, though, was the covering of feathers, similar to the ones of his wings, only hers covered her whole body, with larger, more ornate feathers on her tail tip and on her ears...or at least what Darwing assumed was ears, since he technically did not have any, and neither did the Sea Clan dragons. The mix of grays and browns was interesting...nowhere near as vibrant as Darwing, but he still liked it.
Realizing he was staring as Zorayda spoke up, he blinked and averted his gaze, staring at his forefeet meekly as she spoke up, introducing herself as Zorayda and asking him a short series of questions, which surprised him. Normally he was greeted with a sneer and some sarcastic comment, if not insulted right off the mark. Zorayda's voice and words almost reminded him in a way of his mother's kind nature.
That didn't stop him from being cautious, however, still shy and looking like he'd be somewhere else as he answered. "I...I'm just wandering, really. I'm from...I'm not from around here," he said, not really wanting to associate himself with the Sea Clan...they had never truly accepted him anyway. "I just...I'm just looking for somewhere to stay, but since you're already here, I guess I'll find somewhere else..."
[12:46:23 AM] Kelly: Zorayda noticed with some surprise that the dragon was staring at her as though he'd never seen anything like her before, much like she did to him. Hadn't all dragons seen an Air Clan dragon? They were fairly common, as far as she knew... she was now doubly curious about his history. She saw his demeanor shift into one of meekness as he looked down at his claws.
He didn't answer anything directly at all, which made her wonder if he was trying to hide his history or to run from it. In any case, he was homeless... and she had just scolded him for being in this inviting cave. Feeling guilty, she shifted her talons and spoke up.
"You... you have nowhere to go?" she repeated, and a sudden wave of sympathy rolled through her. Why would such an obviously agreeable and harmless dragon be without a home? Where was his family? Questions raced through her head at high-speed, but in a rare moment of tact, she swallowed them all. She scrutinized him closely, aware of his posture and shy, quiet voice. She never really used this cave much anyway, right...?
*I have a heart of mush,* she scolded herself, knowing already that she would give up her favorite sanctuary to the stranger. She wouldn't tell him so just yet, however.
"What's your name?" she finally asked. That should be a safe question for someone so eager to avoid their past, right?
[12:53:32 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked up, giving a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders at her question. To him, it wasn't so much that he had nowhere to go...more that he had nowhere to belong. He was a freak of nature, a mistake the Fates were trying to correct. He didn't belong anywhere; the best he had hoped for was that he would find somewhere to live out his life, alone and most likely miserable.
When she asked his name, he paused for a moment. Barely anyone in the clan had bothered learning his name, preferring the insults they mostly referred to him by. Again, her word choice and tone reminded him of his mother, and he decided that, even if he was still wary, he'd at least give her a chance...these last few days without anyone around had been torturous to him. "My...my name's Darwing," he said softly, although his tone suggested some form of self-loathing he was trying to hide.
[1:02:31 AM] Kelly: Zorayda waited patiently until the dragon answered. When he finally did, she smiled, her white teeth showing. He was so shy... it was almost painful to watch. Obviously, he needed a little nudge in the social direction... but she hardly knew him, and to push him would probably scare him off. She gave him a deep nod, a form of polite greeting in the Air Clan, and stood to come a few paces closer to him. Now that she realized that he wasn't threatening, she felt more comfortable being nearer to the newly introduced Darwing.
"It's nice to meet you!" she said, both out of politeness and out of honest eagerness. Making friends was one of Zorayda's favorite pastimes, dragons and dragonesses to talk to and socialize with. This dragon needed to come out of his shell a little, but he seemed kind and good-hearted enough.
"I see no reason why you couldn't stay here for a few days... this isn't where I normally stay, anyway. It's just a bit of a hideout for me... a sanctuary, I guess." Zorayda smiled wistfully. "You can really see the sunrise from here... it's beautiful."
Her tail swished back and forth subconsciously as she spoke to him, her voice going up in volume. She was genuinely excited to meet such an interesting dragon, especially one her own age.
"I'm from the Air Clan who lives around these parts. Well, for now, anyways... we're semi-nomadic. None of us like cold weather much," she explained, sticking out her tongue in disgust.
[1:12:48 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing moved to back off another step as Zorayda moved a little closer, yelping as his foot nearly slipped off the edge of the cliff, jumping forward again, looking at Zorayda meekly, trying to let her know he'd prefer some distance between them for now. He managed to smile at her eager greeting, even if he couldn't share it, but the smile never reached his eyes, and it was obvious he didn't have much to smile about in his life.
He did, however, give her a shocked look as she offered to allow him to stay for a few days. "I...really?" he asked softly, convinced this was some kind of joke. "I...I don't have to leave?" he asked.
But he stopped when he heard Zorayda's mention of her being from the Air Clan...Aimara had used that term before, but he could not remember the conversation it revolved around. The fact that he was near another Clan gave him pause to reconsider her offer to let him stay. "I, uhh...look, I'd probably better find somewhere else to stay. Your Clan won't want a...well, someone like me around..." he said dejectedly.
[1:18:50 AM] Kelly: Zorayda gave Darwing an apologetic look as he kept backing away from her. He probably preferred more space than most. She graciously backed off and pretended nothing happened. His half-hearted smile made her perk up, wondering if he would lighten up after all.
She giggled at his incredulous question. "I just said you could say, didn't I?" she teased. "I wouldn't joke about something like that. ...Well, okay, maybe I would, but..."
Zorayda's grin dimmed slightly when he said that he wanted to leave to keep out of the way of her Clan.
"Aw, don't leave!" she whined. "Nobody knows about this cave except me... well, and you, now," she reasoned. "I'd really like some company other than my family, seeing as I haven't actually talked to anyone new since I was born," she said, rolling her eyes. "And I promise I won't mention you! Please stay?" she asked, a look of earnestness creeping into her features. She hoped he wasn't so skittish that he'd leave already... she wanted to know more about him!
[1:22:54 AM] AustralianChaos: "I..." Darwing started to speak, before pausing as she promised he was safe and secluded here, and that she would not mention him. He looked around, almost as if verifying the cave's secrecy, before pondering. He was still sure this was some sort of nasty prank, and that either later today or tomorrow she'd be back with a bunch of friends to torment him.
But eventually he figured that, if that he did happen, it would be easy enough to flee the area. That and he was still intrigued by Zorayda, aspects of her mannerisms reminding him profusely of his mother. "Alright...I'll stay for a little bit, I guess...but only if you're sure," he said, still staring at his forefeet.
[1:29:03 AM] Kelly: Zorayda's face lit up at Darwing's answer.
"I'm so glad! I have a feeling we're gonna be good friends," she answered happily. Though she'd have to give up her favorite spot, it was worth it in order to gain insight on the world outside of her Clan, and to make a new friend.
"So... pardon my asking, but... what sort of dragon are you? You're obviously not from the Sea Clan... but you don't look like one of us, either," she said, tilting her head at him questioningly. "I guess you're kinda like me... you can fly and you have some feathers, and those... thingies on your head look like my feathers," she flicked the long feathers on the sides of her head to indicate what she was talking about. "Plus, you have a really cool eye color," she joked, well aware that her eyes were the same hue.
[1:33:39 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing managed another small, half-hearted smile at Zorayda's excitement at his acceptance, praying her comment about being friends was genuine...if it was, she'd be his first friend.
he paused when she continued, asking about his past, having to fight to keep his face neutral when she mentioned the Sea Clan. "I..." he started, not really sure what to say...he wouldn't lie, but couldn't tell her about the Sea Clan, either...her tone suggested she didn't like them, and associating himself with them could be bad. “I...I'm no-one, really," he said softly. "I'm different, I always have been, always will be." His tone made it perfectly clear that he loathed being different, and was most likely shunned for it, too.
[1:41:17 AM] Kelly: She grinned at Darwing's half-smile, hoping to encourage the dragon into becoming a bit more social. Though he'd only be here for as long as he needed, she wanted to know everything he did about the world.
A look of concern flashed over her face when he began stammering again. She wondered why he wanted to eagerly to forget his past... he seemed to stutter over the mention of the Sea Clan, and she wondered if he'd had encounters with them in the past. He didn't question her about the Sea Clan dragons, making her think that he'd already seen them before. Darwing looked bitter about the fact that he looked different, and she wondered if he'd been ousted for it. There was so much mystery surrounding him, and yet... she felt a strange connection to this dragon who was seemingly nothing at all like herself.
"Well... you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she said, half-disappointed and half-sympathetic. She eyed the darkening sky outside, the sun sinking below the watery horizon. With a sudden flash of inspiration, Zorayda turned to Darwing, her brown feathers ruffling in the sea breeze.
"Hey... do you want to go flying for a little bit? I know where to go to stay away from my family," she offered. A good flight right now sounded very appealing, and she was hungry besides.
[1:48:39 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing sighed, obviously relieved when Zorayda said he didn't have to talk about his past...he'd really rather not think about it right now, as he himself turned to look out over the ocean. Somewhere, further to their left, further north up the coast, lay the Sea Clan, though how far away he could not be entirely sure. He was glad he did not have to deal with their abuse and violence...but he missed Aimara terribly already.
When Zorayda mentioned going for a brief flight, he clearly perked up slightly, obviously keen on the idea. When she added they would avoid her family, he decided he really couldn't refuse. "I guess I don't see why not," he said softly, standing up. "I've never flown with company before," he added, remembering that the Sea Clan couldn't fly...unknowingly giving Zorayda a subtle hint to his past as he looked out over the darkening sky with a small, but genuine smile showing...he clearly loved flying.
[1:55:12 AM] Kelly: Zorayda's mind began puzzling pieces together as Darwing mentioned the fact that he'd never flown with anyone before. Had he always been a loner? Or perhaps he knew dragons that did not fly? His lack of surprise when she mentioned the Sea Clan clued her in to the fact that he was familiar with them. Did he perhaps have a brief stay with them before? The thought troubled her. Her family was always telling her how dangerous and untrustworthy the dragons of the sea were, and though she was curious about them, she would heed caution when approached by one. Giving Darwing a curious and wary sidelong glance, she stretched her wings in pre-flight.
Despite her sudden misgivings, she was glad to have found the other dragon's vice. He was definitely happy to fly... she could see him physically perk up, his head a little higher and his eyes a bit less shy. Somewhere deep inside, he was proud of his flying abilities, she was sure of it.
"All right, then, whoever catches a fish last has to eat a rotten squid!" And she took off into the cool night air, the sea spray touching her feathers. Zorayda's broad, soft wings spread silently like an owl's as she swooped ahead of Darwing.
[2:01:51 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing paled slightly at Zorayda's challenge, taking her more seriously than she'd intended as he watched her take off, watching her graceful movements with a look of awe...did he look like that when he flew?
Deciding he would probably never find out, he wandered over to the cliff edge facing the ocean, shaking his torso slightly, loosening up his muscles, before half-spreading his wings, looking down the long, sheer drop...perfect. Taking a few deep breaths, he suddenly jumped, leaping off the cliff edge without fully extending his wings, simply allowing himself to drop, his weight and gravity soon seeing him in a speedy nose-dive.
Once he felt he had gathered plenty of speed, he opened his wing fully, the partially-feathered, charcoal-black appendages fanning out beside him as he rapidly leveled out, still well above the ocean, before climbing back, letting out a loud, happy roar as he felt the wind and sea spray across his body...this was where he belonged, he loved this!
His dive had given him an extra burst of speed though, and soon he had swooped ahead of Zorayda, well below her, now just gliding over the gentle ocean waves, looking the twilight scenery, smiling to himself.
[2:08:59 AM] Kelly: Zorayda felt rather than heard Darwing's takeoff behind her, and she smiled to herself. There really was no better feeling than to have fresh air whip through her feathers, to have the skies at her command... with a little start of surprise, she saw him diving below her, only to whip his black wings out at the last second and get ahead of her. He was closer to the water than she was now. Zorayda's eyed widened in surprise at his natural ability to fly. He was better than some of the Air Clan, and that was really saying something.
When he roared, she laughed, though the wind snatched the sound from her throat before it could get anywhere. Taking a deep breath, she let out a high-pitched, trilling cry, a signature sound from the Air Clan kind. It was a mix between an eagle's piercing screech and a lion's roar, but it rivaled the eagerness of Darwing's roar all the same. Darwing's form lighted swiftly in the darkness as he skimmed the water.
"Oh, no you don't!" Zorayda called cheekily, and did a sort of flat-spin as she purposefully tumbled quickly towards the sea. At the last second, she snapped her wings out, halting her downward progress. Her long body was pointed straight like an arrow as she came alongside Darwing, grinning at him.
[2:15:55 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked up at the strange, high cry, noticing it was Zorayda that caused it...clearly her kind of dragons made a different sound to ones like him...although he sounded similar to the Sea Dragons with his roaring...but different enough to be distinctive.
When she suddenly spun and dived down, coming into an identical glide beside him, he glanced at her in awe again. "Nice!" he said, lost in the moment. He quickly remembered her challenge, though, and upon noticing a flash of movement under the water, promptly turned away from Zorayda, diving with startling suddenness, promptly vanishing under the water with a loud splash. Growing up in the Sea Clan meant he was also rather adept in the water, even if his body wasn't exactly built for it.
He was under for only a few seconds, before burst up once more, spraying seawater all around him as he flapped his now-sodden wings, getting back up to a safe distance over the waves, his fore claws firmly gripping a squirming, struggling fish...he'd been fishing basically since he could swim, since his father, while providing for his family, would not let him eat anything he caught, unless Aimara gave it to him directly...from the moment he was physically able, he'd had to fend for himself.
[2:24:57 AM] Kelly: Zorayda just laughed at Darwing's compliment, glad to have another dragon to give her some form of camaraderie while she flew. She blinked as he suddenly moved--then cried out in alarm as he dove straight into the water. With a few startled bugles, she automatically began to circle around the spot where he went under, utterly at a loss as to how she could help him. But then his body suddenly rushed past her, dripping wet with salt water. He seemed perfectly fine as he gripped a fat fish in his claws, looking satisfied.
Zorayda closed her mouth, suddenly aware that it had been hanging open. Dragons did NOT just dive into water like that! Her own feathers were not built for the water, and if she ever tried doing what he just did, she'd become sodden and heavy, and more than likely drown. Collecting herself, she called to him in indignation.
"Darwing! Are you all right?! You scared me!" she shouted above the rushing wind, her wings automatically keeping her alight.
[9/25/2011 7:44:45 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing's exhilarated grin vanished as he saw Zorayda's shocked, indignant look, making him edge away from her slightly...he'd scared or angered her, probably both, and now he was worried about the repurcussions.
When she scolded him, and asked if he was alright, he was briefly confused, edging away from her a little more. "Why?" he asked tentatively, although loud enough to let his voice carry over the wind. "I...I'm sorry...I don't know what I did..." he said, not realising that her kind could not swim, due to their feathers. He also had no idea that his obvious experience in swimming was another clue to his fast...a series of clues he was giving up too easily.
[9/25/2011 7:49:42 PM] Kelly: Zorayda's concerned gaze deepened as Darwing's sudden happiness popped like a bubble. He was obviously afraid that she'd do or say something to him... but why? And how could he swim?! No sane dragon would do that--well, besides the Sea Clan... The Sea Clan. Darwing had to be associated with them somehow, it was impossible not to be. There were far too many convenient clues for it NOT to be.
After a few tense moments of silent flight, she shouted out her answer.
"None of us go into the water. Our feathers become heavy and we cannot swim well... therefore effectively drowining us. It has happened to many fledglings before," she explained. She then frowned at the fish in his claws.
"Looks like you won..." she shouted, disappointed that she wasn't able to best him. Perhaps she'd underestimated his abilities...
[7:55:33 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked down, realizing what she was so worried about. She could not swim, and had assumed the same of him. "I...I'm sorry," he said softly. "I-I didn't realize..." he looked over at her as she declared his victory, a little surprised, before remembering everything...and how carefree he had been around her.
Feeling shy once again all of a sudden, he averted his gaze, before climbing into the air, wheeling around and heading back for the cliffside cave they had met on, soon landing lightly on it, looking back to the ocean, praying he hadn't made too big a mistake...she had just offered to let him stay, would she change her mind now?
[8:01:10 PM] Kelly: Zorayda quickly snatched a close fish out of the water with her long talons as Darwing retreated back into his shell. She was unsure of what to think of him now, being possibly associated with the Sea Clan dragons... hopefully he didn't have any bad intentions. So far he seemed nice enough, but she would be cautious around him all the same. It paid to be careful as a dragon--it often meant the difference between life and death.
As he lighted upon the cliff's edge once more, she followed him at a safe distance, gobbling down the fish whole. It filled her belly partially, enough to keep her hunger at bay.
"It's all right, you know... you just worried me for your safety," she explained to him as he became shy once more. After watching him closely, her eyes tracking his movements, she couldn't hold it in.
"Darwing... are you... are you sure you don't know some of the Sea Clan dragons? I mean... my family doesn't like them, but you don't act at all like what my family has told me... And, well... you can swim, and you didn't ask about them when I mentioned them... perhaps you just met them while wandering?" she tilted her head at him, but her body was curled in slightly in a defensive posture. "I've always been curious about the sea dragons, because I've never actually talked to them..."
[8:06:54 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing nodded as Zorayda explained her worry for him, even as his eyes widened in surprise at her actually caring for his safety. But when Zorayda asked about the Sea Clan, and his association with them, he couldn't hide the agitated, nervous look as he shuffled slightly, looking around to make sure he could fly off quickly if need be. It was obvious now, he'd definitely associated with them before...and if Zorayda's family didn't like his home clan, his time here was as good as over now.
Darwing sighed...there was no point in lying. Not only was it disrespectful and wrong, according to his mother, but the truth usually ended up getting out, anyway. "I..." he started, before pausing. "I know them..." he said softly, simply not telling the whole truth, rather than flat-out lying. But the hurt and misery in his eyes was clear, and definitely suggested plenty of bad memories.
[8:15:59 PM] Kelly: "You do know them?" Zorayda repeated, surprised that her hunch was correct. "Oh... were they... were they as mean as they sound?" her eyes were filled with a hint of fear. "I heard that the Sea and Air clans used to fight a lot... I hope they treated you kindly," she said softly, feeling her face get a little warm. Though he'd just admitted his association with the sea dragons, she already felt attached to Darwing. He made her feel like she just wanted to take him and give him a sisterly cuddle whenever he displayed his shy demeanor. He was just too darn cute for his own good!
She cautiously stepped to just the outside of his personal bubble and grinned at him.
"Well, you don't look like a Sea Clan dragon, so as long as you're more careful, nobody else you meet would find out!" she assured him. "You can still stay here... I have to leave soon, though," she said sadly. "I'll be back tomorrow. You can tell me all you know about the Sea Clan tomorrow... please?" she asked. "I just... want to know why there is so much hatred towards them from my clan's end... it doesn't seem fair to judge them when I haven't even met them yet," she said, the end part more to reassure herself than to explain to Darwing.
[9/25/2011 8:21:01 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing nodded softly to confirm Zorayda's final question that he knew them. He was about to answer Zorayda's question about them being mean when she continued on, speaking about past fights between them, a fact that surprised him. No-one in the Sea Clan had ever even mentioned the Air Clan before, aside from Aimara, a reference he still could not remember the context of. He ducked his head at her hope of being treated kindly, trying to hide his hurt.
When she tried to reassure him by telling him that as long as he was quiet, no-one else would find out, he looked back up at her. "You mean...you won't tell?" he asked disbelievingly. Was she really going to give him that big of a break? But she continued on, reminding him that it was getting late. "I...I'll try," he said to her request to learn more about the Sea Clan, not really sure if he could, before turning back to the cave. "You...are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?" he asked one more time. "It's really no trouble if you want me somewhere else."
[9/25/2011 8:25:54 PM] Kelly: Zorayda shook her head when Darwing asked her if he would tell her clan about his history.
"No, I promised I wouldn't even mention you being here!" she laughed. "I don't go back on promises. And yeah, it's fine if you stay here," she reassured him flippantly, obviously thinking that it wasn't that big of a deal. "You don't seem like the type to go around attacking dragons... unlike a lot of rogues. Just leave some space for me when I want to take a nap," she teased, giggling.
"Well, goodbye, then," Zorayda finally said, not really wanting to leave. He was just so kind, and he seemed so lost and scared... but he'd be okay, wouldn't he? There was plenty of food and a warm place to sleep and keep away from other dangerous dragons... and plus, she'd check up on him once in a while.
With a final look back at him, she smiled, and then spread her wings to take off into the night sky.
[9/25/2011 8:29:52 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing nodded. "I...goodbye," he mumbled awkwardly, not used to someone so kindly dismissing him, watching as she took off into the sky, clearly heading back to her clan as he turned around, walking into the cave, sighing as he found the spot he had been napping on earlier, curling up once, trying to make sense of the day so far.
He had met another dragon, from the 'Air Clan', and despite expecting another torrent of abuse, like always, she had instead turned out to be extremely nice...aside from her rather outgoing and excitable personality, she seemed to have the same kind, caring attitude Aimara always had. Shuffling to find a more comfortable position, he drifted off slowly, wondering what tomorrow would hold...he really hoped this wasn't just a lucky one-off meeting, and that maybe, just maybe, he was finally getting a break.
[8:03:59 PM] Kelly: The sun peeked slowly over the horizon as Zorayda snoozed, breathing softly as she snuggled closely to her little sister. Her eyes snapped open as if her name was called when the light hit her face, and after a few blinks, she looked down at herself.
Her claws were under Rei's body slightly, the female dragoness's pale yellow feathers fluttering softly as a warm sea breeze wooshed through the Air Clan's official den. Thinking carefully, Zorayda gently extracted herself from her sister's body, smiling softly to herself. Though Rei could be a bit distanced from her big sister, due to her immature age and sibling rivalry, her actions often spoke volumes of her loyalty to her big sister.
She remembered their brief conversation last night, catching up with one another. Rei was used to Zorayda's solo outings, having been accustomed to her big sister's desire for more freedom and individuality than most of her clan.
Finally free, the brown-and-gray dragoness silently flew away from her family, straight towards her new friend Darwing. Her heart thudded excitedly in her chest at the thought of talking to him again, a stranger and outsider who must know much more than she did. That and he was just nice in general. The small cave finally became visible amongst a small cluster of pointed stones and craggy rocks being beaten by waves, and she swept upon the rock face quietly.
She walked slowly into the cave mouth, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. The sun had risen slightly as she'd flown, but the back of the cave was still pitch-black. Zorayda'd been born with a special ability to see in utter darkness, however, and used it to find Darwing asleep in the back of the cave.
"Good morning, Darwing," she said softly, in case he was a light sleeper.
[8:14:33 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing, as it turned out, was already awake when Zorayda arrived, used to waking early...oversleeping had always generated a scolding from his father, and he'd quickly learned to be up early, usually before sunrise. As such, by the time Zorayda landed on the ledge just outside the cave mouth, blocking the sunrise, Darwing was already resting down back, wide-awake.
He managed a soft smile as Zorayda greeted him, turning his head to look at her, just happy to see her...happy that she came back again. "Morning, Zorayda," he replied softly. "Sleep well last night?" he asked, maintaining a polite air his mother has encouraged him to use with everyone he could.
[8:23:50 PM] Kelly: Zorayda grinned back at Darwing's smile, fluttering her feathers.
"Slept just fine! Except when my sister hit me in the face with her tail... but other than that, well," she grumbled jokingly. She settled down on her haunches and looked straight at Darwing, smiling. "So... shall we fly? I noticed how much you liked flying with a partner yesterday, and... well, it was fun!" She said, winking. Without really pausing for an answer, she made her way towards the front of the cave again, wings twitching excitedly.
"I've yet to have breakfast... and the last one to catch a fish today has to snort seaweed!" She teased, sticking her tongue out between her teeth with her eyes closed. Then, with an exuberant laugh, she leapt out, quickly flapping her wings to make up for the rocks blocking the sea drafts at that angle, and began searching the water for fish with her eagle eyes.
[8:31:19 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing smiled, although frowned slightly at the mention of her sister hitting her during her sleep. Zorayda's joking attitude suggested it was nothing more than an accident, but Darwing had siblings of his own back at the Sea Clan...ones that also hit him while he slept, although their disturbing impacts were far from accidental.
When she suggested flying again, though, he perked back up...he did enjoy yesterday's flight, and now that he was aware of Zorayda's joking nature, he didn't take her threat of having to snort seaweed if he lost seriously...not entirely, at least.
This time, when he took off, he didn't dive down the cliff-face, instead flapping his half-feathered wings hard, moving out to meet Zorayda high about the ocean, already smiling at the sensation of the wind in his muzzle. This, right here, in the air, was where he belonged.
[8:38:11 PM] Kelly: Zorayda watched Darwing approach her from behind out of the corner of her eye, smirking to herself. This time, she knew his abilities, and she would definitely win. With a clever but silly idea in her head, she implemented one of her many expert flying skills and swooped right towards him, doing a neat loop by first flying just beneath him and inches from his claws, then looping so she was looking at him upside down for a split second.
Hoping that this would distract him long enough, she instantly snatched a fish from the water with a talon in the descent of her loop, laughing and whooping with unbridled joy.
[8:42:37 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing hesitated as she came towards him, wondering what was going on. Yelping and flinching back as she almost ran into him...only to pass under him, before looping over him, then diving back down, skimming the water briefly before climbing back up, a fish in her claws as she laughed and cheered.
Darwing, meanwhile, was trying to recover his rattled nerves, clearly a little unsteady in his flight now. For a brief moment, he had been certain that Zorayda was trying to attack him, that everything that had happened in the past day was a lie. The fear of injury along with the feeling of betrayal had left him highly rattled, not noticing Zorayda's exuberant cheering, trying to recover from his emotional rollercoaster and slow his thumping heart rate.
[8:47:58 PM] Kelly: Zorayda's laughs died down slowly as her stomach urged her to eat the prey she'd caught, and with a snap of her jaws, it was sliding down her throat. She licked her lips as her wings straightened in auto-flight, a habit of muscle memory. A second later, though, she felt the tip of Darwing's black wing knock into hers slightly and she turned to look at him.
The look on his face was one of fear and anxiety, and it was apparently unsettling his previously smooth flight. Perhaps doing such a trick wasn't very smart of her for flying with a lone flier... With a soft, trilling call, she tried to get his attention.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized loudly over the wind.
[8:51:34 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing jumped rather violently at Zorayda's trilling call, looking at her rather warily...but her apologetic tone did help soothe some of Darwing's anxiety...clearly she had not meant to frighten him like she did. "I...I'm okay, I guess," he replied. "You just startled me a bit," he explained, although he was clearly underplaying how badly he had been scared.
Sighing softly, part of it out of relief, he turned and, skimming the ocean's surface, quickly snatched a fish of his own, this one much smaller than yesterday's catch, barely a snack. Shrugging, he gulped it down, regardless, before returning to Zorayda's side. "Guess I lost today..." he said softly.
[8:59:19 PM] Kelly: Zorayda's face held nothing but concern as Darwing's anxiety didn't seem to fade much. Why was he so afraid of her? She hadn't done anything bad to him yet... right? Knowing her habit of saying things she didn't mean, she tried to think back on their previous conversations... but she couldn't come up with anything prevalent. She let the flight continue in silence, slowly becoming more miserable as the minutes ticked by. The joy of the flight had been greatly reduced due to her usual ability to hurt others unknowingly... with a sigh, she headed back towards the cliffs and landed a bit awkwardly due to the slick surface.
[9:03:08 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing had once more retreated into his shell, leaving him unable to break the awkward silence around them. It was obvious by Zorayda's sad expression that she hadn't meant to scare him...but how could he explain that she hadn't done anything wrong?
As they landed, though, Darwing noticed her slightly awkward land, quickly using one of his wings to steady her a bit; just in case she rolled an ankle or something...he'd done that before on landing, and knew it could hurt something fierce.
Sighing, he sat down, folding his wings by his side as he gazed out to sea, trying to figure out how to explain. "Sorry about before, Zorayda. I just...I'm used to other dragons approaching me with...ill intentions," he said softly, looking down at his forefeet, rubbing one foreleg with the other nervously. Why, exactly, was he saying these things to her?
[9:10:00 PM] Kelly: Zorayda shook her head as Darwing started to apologize.
"No, Darwing, it's me who should apologize, I--" but he kept talking, and what he said silenced her immediately. So, his shyness was a result of others being unkind toward him? What dragon would want to be mean to Darwing? Indignation and confusion ran through her head at his heavy statement as she noted his claws rubbing against the opposite foreleg with trepidation.
"Oh, I see..." she said softly, sitting back on her haunches and tucking her wings in. "Well... I don't know why someone would ever do that. You're just so nice," she said, a bit bluntly but sincerely all the same. "Was it the Sea Clan dragons? Are they really as bad as I've heard?" She asked, unsure now if she wanted the answer anymore.
[9:16:59 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked up at her as she questioned why anyone would want to be mean to him. He was about to argue the point of his unique, and in the Sea Clan's opinion, freakish looks, when she continued, hitting the nail on the head.
"I..." Darwing paused, not entirely sure how to explain the Sea Clan's behavior. To him, they were horrible, but he knew his experience was not exactly normal...nothing about him ever was. "The Sea Clan...I guess they're a bit...rough, in a way. They're not so much bad as temperamental and superstitious...fanatically so," he explained. "So when someone different comes along...someone like me..." he trailed off, not really able to explain further, although part of him doubted that he had to.
He switched topics and pressed on, though. "For the most part, their good enough to each other, though...respect and honor are pretty important to them, as is strength...the strongest Sea Dragons are the ones in the upper classes of the Clan's pecking order, so to speak."
[9:28:19 PM] Kelly: Zorayda nodded in encouragement as Darwing slowly opened up and talked. She took it as the obviously rare opportunity it was and really listened. The Sea Clan sounded... rough. Though their traditions were much about strength, the Air was nearly the same, though more about speed, flying abilities, and the intelligence to outwit an opponent. Their hierarchy was more through bloodline than anything else, but if a dragon decided to challenge an Elder, he could win the spot through a won fight.
"The Air Clan is... almost like that. I don't know how they'd be about a non-Sea Clan-looking dragon, but I know they're set in their ways. We honor flying abilities and intelligence more so than brute strength." She silently hoped that her Clan would be open enough to someday meet Darwing, but she knew better than to voice that opinion or to act on it... for now. She didn't want to start needless conflicts. "I'm sorry they didn't accept you," she said softly, her eyes suddenly downcast. "I know how that can be... I'm not really good with other dragons' feelings at times and I can be socially awkward. That, and I've always questioned everything, and that part of me can get me into real trouble sometimes."
She scooted closer to him, smiling. "Maybe, though, we can be friends and forget about the ones who make fun of us!" she said with a smile. "We can be strong all by ourselves," she added, partially to him and partially to herself.
[9:34:46 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing nodded, listening to the Air Clan's emphasis on agility and wit over brute strength. If he wasn't so shy, he would probably have chuckled at it, since he knew those were things he tended to value, knowing he was weak compared to most Sea Dragons.
When she apologized over his lack of acceptance, he shook his head. "It's my lot in life, I guess," he said softly. "At least not -all- of them were bad..." he said quietly, remembering his mother, Aimara...without her, he would have died years ago. When Zorayda mentioned her own past, and the way her own quirks tended to sideline her from most of the Clan, he frowned softly. Aimara was like that, as well...even her relationship with his father and her mate, Bor'red, was strained because of her questioning ways, and her insistence on caring for him, of course.
Her mention of being friends, though, almost made Darwing fall over, showing just how lonely his life had been. "You...you mean it?" he breathed softly, clearly stunned by her offer.
[11:05:29 PM] Kelly: Zorayda looked at Darwing sadly as he denied his own right to acceptance, knowing that it must have taken a lot of abuse to make him sound so downright dejected. He then mentioned that not all of the Sea Clan were bad, and it made her feel a little better. Maybe he'd had a friend or something who had helped him out at one point, or had helped to shield him from some of the harsh treatment he'd had to endure.
Or, maybe not... his reaction to her offer to be friends was shocking, indeed. Surely he'd had a friend before! But his bright eyes showed the truth clearly--he was genuinely flabbergasted at the thought.
"Yeah, why not?" Zorayda said, grinning her signature cheeky grin. "You and I have similar experiences, though mine probably aren't nearly as bad as yours," she admitted. Occasional teasing was all she'd ever had to endure, seeing as she wasn't all THAT different from the others. At least she looked like them and was raised by the Clan... She pondered at that, wondering what a truly hard life was like. Her minor qualms seemed petty when he mentioned his own problems with the oceanic dragons.
[11:12:20 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing risked offering a small smile of his own as Zorayda gave him a grin, hoping against hope her offer was sincere. "Friends..." he said softly. Aimara had been a wonderful mother, but he knew that, despite that, he wanted a friend, someone his own age to talk and mess around with. Could Zorayda be that friend? "If...if you don't mind having someone like me around, Zorayda. Then...I guess...friends?" he asked hopefully, giving her that shy look he was naturally good at, even if he didn't realize how good that look was at disarming Zorayda.
[11:27:27 PM] Kelly: Zorayda nodded, her grin becoming wider as Darwing slowly accepted her offer. He seemed to say the word slowly, as if it was a foreign concept, and her heart clenched briefly. Then he did that shy look again, and she knew she was stuck. Yep, they'd be friends forever, she just knew.
"Well... now you need to show me how you do that diving thing. I can't do it, but it'd be neat if you showed me the mechanics. Wanna go?" She asked, eyes twinkling.
=====
The young adolescent dragoness yawned widely as she awoke, much later than the rest of her family who were either hunting, frolicking, or relaxing on the rocks. She blinked her emerald eyes a few times and stretched, her wingtips shivering at the same rate as her muscles. She glanced around for her sister, remembering that they'd ended up close together last night, but she wasn't there.
'Probably off hunting with our mother,' she thought to herself. But her eagle eyes didn't see her nearby, in the skies or otherwise. The Clan made it a point to keep within viewing distance of each other, so that meant that Zorayda had probably gone off alone again. 'Odd... she always spends time with us before doing that. I wonder if she's up to something...'
[11:37:00 PM] Kelly: After a few moments of thinking, Rei shook her head, straightening some of her sleep-ruffled yellow feathers, and took to the skies. After a few minutes of flight, she caught sight of her sister, off away from the Clan and concentrating on going in a certain direction. Stealthily, Rei tried to follow, but sudden spray from the ocean threatened to dampen her feathers and she wheeled back quickly. Gaining her bearings again, she looked around for Zorayda, but couldn't see her. Rei glanced downwards to see fog above the water's surface and assumed she'd gone under it. Ducking quickly under the damp cloud cover, she looked again for her sister, but did not see her. Grumbling, she found a nearby outcropping and rested there, waiting for her sister's return.
An hour or so later, Rei heard a high, trilling bugle--her sister's voice! Shooting up from her resting place quickly, she flew towards it and found a larger outcropping, complete with a cave! Smirking in victory, Rei dove down to land upon the rocks, finally catching sight of Zorayda.
"Aha! So this is your hiding place, sister!" She crowed, proud of her discovery. "What the heck have you... been... doing..." her words trailed off slowly as she saw the bright yellow...thing... standing next to Zorayda, shocked. WHAT was that... that thing? Snarling, Rei jumped in front of her sister, feathers fluffed in protective anger.
"WHO are you?! What are you doing with my sister? What the heck ARE you, weirdo?!" she snarled, her emerald eyes narrowed. Zorayda recovered quickly from the panic she felt settling in her heart and roared back at Rei to get her attention, immediately jumping in front of Darwing protectively and staring imploringly at her little sister.
"N-no, wait, you don't understand--" Zorayda stammered, her pupils constricted. Oh, no... Darwing had been found out! She just prayed that her little sister would understand, would keep him secret...
[11:47:03 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing smiled as she did, somehow knowing he'd made a friend, smiling wider as she asked him to show her his dive he'd performed earlier...a trick he'd learned during his daily flying sessions he had to escape the Sea Clan.
But before he could say anything, another dragon arrived, her feather similar in color to his scales. He was shock into stillness for a moment, but instantly got the feeling back into his legs as she snarled at him and started angrily making demands. In an instant, Darwing had backed off several steps, cowering back in fright and submission as this new dragon continued threatening him.
But Darwing froze, shocked, when Zorayda jumped in front of him, desperately trying to stop the other dragoness. Zorayda was...protecting him? This new display was hard for Darwing to stomach...only his mother had shown -any- sort of protective behavior regarding him. Despite this, he still eyed Rei meekly, clearly frightened of her despite his larger size.
[11:55:15 PM] Kelly: Rei's voice got more hysterical and angry at Zorayda's actions, moving forward towards her sister aggressively.
"What do you mean, 'I don't understand'?! This... thing is an outsider, and probably dangerous! Don't tell me you've been harboring this freak in your hiding spot, Zor! What if he was just waiting to kill you or something??" Rei looked at the cowering Darwing menacingly at this, her tail lashing back and forth.
But Zorayda's feathers bristled as well, her own cerulean eyes narrowed. "What do YOU know? You've always been biased like Mom! You never give anyone a chance and judge them before you know them! Besides, he isn't from the Sea Clan," she lied, pressing her foot atop Darwing's as a hint to keep his mouth shut. "He's... he's from... uh, far away! Far, far away, from an entirely different clan, but he decided to become a rogue and discover the world on his own. Isn't that right?" she asked Darwing, suddenly turning to him and pleading with her eyes for him to play along.
Rei snorted, but backed off slightly.
"Well, whatever... but you can't keep him here alone! The Clan must know about him," she concluded, still frowning at Darwing and eyeing him as she would a poisonous snake.
"B-but..." Zorayda looked from Darwing to Rei helplessly, but her sister didn't look as if she would budge on the issue. Zorayda's heart filled with ice at the fact that she was unable to keep her promise to her new friend, and she suddenly found that she couldn't look at him anymore due to overwhelming guilt.
[12:02:56 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked back and forth between the two dragons as their argument escalated, but physical winced and cowered down further at some of Rei's nastier insults...ones he had heard all too often, but had hoped he had escaped.
He winced when Zorayda stamped on his foot, which managed to hide his shocked look at her outright lie. When she turned, eyes pleading with him to play along with her story, he couldn't move, let alone speak to reply. For one, Aimara had taught him to be as honest as possible, and two, things were happening entirely too fast for him to keep up.
Darwing hung his head as Rei confirmed she was going to let the Clan know of his presence, though. He knew it...barely a day, and he was going to get thrown out, leaving behind his one friend...it was his lot in life, it seemed.
But Darwing heard a short, joyous call somewhere down the cliff face below them, and his curiosity got the better of him as he turned to look. And there, down below, was a small, clearly young, blue-feathered dragon, flying low to the water, obviously having a lot of fun.
[12:11:03 AM] Kelly: Zorayda saw Darwing's whole body sag at Rei's decision, suddenly hating herself for being so obvious. If she hadn't been so overeager to get here, she could have saved him his fate... it would probably have been better for him if he'd never met her at all. Tears collected in her jewel-colored eyes, but didn't fall as she faced away from Darwing.
But then a cry of happiness made both Rei and Zorayda jerk their heads up to see one of their own, a young fledgling skimming very close to the ocean. Very, very close...
Rei gasped as Zorayda made a little noise in the back of their throat, both sisters at the edge of the promontory. Darwing remained momentarily forgotten as they watched the young air dragon play, worry apparent on their faces.
"That's... isn't that Miro?" Zorayda asked aloud. "He's way too close to the surface of the water!"
Rei, her anger at bay for now, nodded in agreement with her sister and attempted to call out to Miro. "MIRO! Get away from the water or you'll drown! Your feathers...!"
[12:20:09 AM] AustralianChaos: Miro dived down, ignoring the calls of his sister behind him as he let his clawed feet skim the water briefly, before flapping back up and over a wave, laughing the whole way.
When he heard a call somewhere above him, he turned his neck around, spotting three figures up on the distance promontory. He was too far away to see Darwing's strange features, but he did recognize Zorayda and Rei. "Hi, Zor! Rei!" he called chirpily. "Come down here, this is so much..." his playful call turned into a stunned shriek as, too preoccupied calling to Zor and Rei, he didn't see the incoming wave ahead of him, thinking he was high enough to escape them.
The young dragon burst through the wave, and for a moment looked perfectly alright, if sopping wet...until his flight path became very shaky, his sodden feather losing their aerodynamics and weighing him down as he struggled to stay up. "What's happening? I can't...I can't fly!" he screeched as he fell, desperately struggling to fly barely two inches above the water. "SIENNA! ZOR! SOMEBODY! HELP!" he shrieked in blind panic, before the next wave rose up, dragging him under.
----------
Darwing paled as he heard Miro's panicked shrieks...but the moment the young dragon was lost under the water, he sprang into action, remember Zorayda's comments yesterday that Air Dragons could not swim, and could not fly when wet.
In an instant, before anyone could stop him, he was off the promontory, diving down the cliffside, wings barely extended, only enough to keep him stabilized as he fell. The poor thing was only young, too young to depart the world, and even if Darwing didn't know him, he was not going to let such a young, innocent life end so tragically.
[12:37:11 AM] Kelly: Sienna bugled softly for her brother as he raced ahead of her as usual, his excitable young personality showing itself again. She chuckled softly to herself, following him at a bit of a distance to allow him his freedom and fun. Normally, she would have let him be entirely alone, but... ever since their parents... her soft smile turned into a sad frown, her silver eyes turning a stormy ocean gray. She missed them so much... their deaths were so sudden, so unexpected, and since, she'd taken over their place as Miro's protector. At his happy voice, her gold-colored 'ears' twitched with the movement of her head. She heard him greet someone, and her brow furrowed, wondering who would be way out here. They were out pretty far away from the Clan today...
A sudden splash caught her attention, and suddenly the blue shape that was her little brother had disappeared. Her eyes widened in horror at the implication, suddenly spurring her large, lavender wings into action to catch up to him.
"MIRO? Miro!" she called frantically, her breathing and heartbeat becoming erratic. "Where are you!? Answer me!"
Sienna briefly closed her eyes, collecting herself and trying to slow her heart. If her brother was in trouble, she'd be no use to him in a panic. Another splash and she opened her eyes, stunned and relieved to see Miro right in front of her.
"Brother! Miro, you scared--" but she stopped talking as she realized that his feathers were darker than normal, and he was... dripping. Miro was soaked, and as she watched in trepidation, he struggled to remain airborne, sinking lower and lower until he splashed into the next wave.
Sienna shrieked, a strangled, pained cry as she swept out of the way of the same wave that'd taken her precious brother down. Wheeling around and roaring, she scanned the waters, only able to see glimpses of her brother and hearing his voice scream out for help. She desperately tried to lower down enough to grab him, any part of him, with her talons, but he was moving too fast, and she couldn't get low enough without going under herself.
'No! Miro, I can't lose you, too!' she thought desperately, fighting to stay calm as she tried to think of a way to save her only living relative.
=====
Rei and Zorayda cried out simultaneously in alarm as Miro was dragged under, Sienna now a visible purple speck circling frantically at the place where the fledgling had landed. Zorayda quickly took off, not knowing what she was going to do, but desperate to help all the same. She was mildly surprised as she noticed Darwing taking off, too, but it didn't register in her mind until she remembered...
He could swim!
"Darwing! Save him, please!" she cried out, but he was already shooting quickly towards Sienna and Miro, making her plea unnecessary.
He had been forced into a self-imposed exile from the Sea Clan, his birth home, after several dragons had attempted to kill, the 'winged freak', as he was often called, only just escaping. It had been a few days since he had left, flying aimlessly, wishing he could go back and see his mother, Aimara...the only Sea Dragon who cared about him, one last time, but knew his return would be to his death as well.
Nevertheless, the loneliness and complete solitude was starting to get to him, leaving him craving his mother's embrace, her soft voice...and leaving him in no mood to fly, as he often liked to do. So he just curled back up, hoping to get a brief morning nap in...maybe he would fly this afternoon.
[12:16:52 AM] Kelly: Zorayda's bright eyes flickered between her eyelids as she dreamed of flying over the sea, her birdlike talons skimming the salty surface of the sea. Fish darted away from the dragoness on instinctive impulse, avoiding the avian predator. She grinned to herself as salty flecks of foam touched the feathered scales of her light underbelly. This was life as she knew it. This was her own paradise.
She could just see the outline of her younger sister with her sharp eyes when a sudden interruption made the colors of the sunset bleed together, and then vanish completely. Confused and half-conscious, she opened her eyes to the real world. Her eyes blurred with the residue of leftover sleepiness as a vague yellowish shape appeared before her, curled up on the craggy floor of her favorite hideaway cave. That wasn't right...
Blinking, she shuffled and stood up. Her eyes came into focus and she saw a dragon... or what she thought was a dragon.
It was brightly colored, with yellow and silver scales, big, leathery--and feathery--wings tucked against its back, with a serpentine, unfeathered tail. From its rougher and less fine-featured appearance, it looked to be male... but the dragon was unlike any she had ever seen. Even his front claws were different from hers, with a longer 'dew claw' that made it look like the dexterous fingers of monkey paws. After an initial instant of shock, Zorayda cautiously approached him. She realized that he was between her and the exit, blocking her escape. Her feathered immediately puffed in indignance and self-defense.
"Stranger, why are you here in my cave?" she demanded more forcefully than she meant. His presence and obviously larger size intimidated her, especially since he seemed to purposefully prevent her exit.
[12:22:53 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing could have sworn he left a few scales behind when he leapt into the air at a voice behind him, from deeper in the cave. Yelping and backing away rapidly out of instinct, moving into the morning sunlight as he left the cave, he quickly tried to hurry out an apology.
"I-I'm sorry, miss! I thought this was empty!" he stammered, cursing himself for not checking the dark depths of the den for other dragons. He was in trouble now, and he knew. Flying away was pointless...in the time it would take him to spread his wings and gain enough life to take off, the dragoness...he assumed by the voice it was female, unable to see into the depths of the cave...although he could see an indistinct shape in there, would have him pinned down and at her mercy.
"I can leave," he said meekly, trying to avoid a confrontation. "I'll find somewhere else..." he added, hoping she would let him go, not really sure what to expect, although years of verbal and physical abuse by the Sea Clan had left him expecting something along those lines.
[12:28:54 AM] Kelly: Zorayda's feathers smoothed slowly as the dragon spoke, her theory of his gender correct. He seemed to immediately put himself into a submissive pose, and he made it clear that he meant no harm. Tilting her head curiously, she stepped into the dim light and came a little closer. This strange dragon seemed very skittish... With him facing her, she could see him more clearly. His eyes were much the same color as hers, only with odd slits for pupils instead of the 'normal' round, and there were... long, pointed growths coming from his head.
"That's all right..." she finally answered, sitting down. "You just frightened me, is all. My name is Zorayda. What brings you here?" she asked politely. She was honestly curious about this very strange-looking dragon. He wasn't of the Sea Clan... but he wasn't of the Air Clan either. What was he?
"Are you from around here?" Zorayda added. She'd never seen any of his kind before and wondered if he had travelled from afar or something like that.
[12:38:55 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing back off a couple more steps as the dragoness got up, moving closer, to where he could actually see her, at which point he paused. Partially because of the looming cliff-edge close behind him, and partially out of curiosity for the dragoness in front of him.
Darwing had always known he was different, the Sea Clan were more serpentine in looks, with fins instead of wings, and smaller, more loosely-spaced scales, obviously more suited to swimming beneath the waves, completely unable to fly like he could. But this dragoness was completely different. She was smaller than him by a fair measure, seeming very slender as well. What peaked Darwing's curiosity, though, was the covering of feathers, similar to the ones of his wings, only hers covered her whole body, with larger, more ornate feathers on her tail tip and on her ears...or at least what Darwing assumed was ears, since he technically did not have any, and neither did the Sea Clan dragons. The mix of grays and browns was interesting...nowhere near as vibrant as Darwing, but he still liked it.
Realizing he was staring as Zorayda spoke up, he blinked and averted his gaze, staring at his forefeet meekly as she spoke up, introducing herself as Zorayda and asking him a short series of questions, which surprised him. Normally he was greeted with a sneer and some sarcastic comment, if not insulted right off the mark. Zorayda's voice and words almost reminded him in a way of his mother's kind nature.
That didn't stop him from being cautious, however, still shy and looking like he'd be somewhere else as he answered. "I...I'm just wandering, really. I'm from...I'm not from around here," he said, not really wanting to associate himself with the Sea Clan...they had never truly accepted him anyway. "I just...I'm just looking for somewhere to stay, but since you're already here, I guess I'll find somewhere else..."
[12:46:23 AM] Kelly: Zorayda noticed with some surprise that the dragon was staring at her as though he'd never seen anything like her before, much like she did to him. Hadn't all dragons seen an Air Clan dragon? They were fairly common, as far as she knew... she was now doubly curious about his history. She saw his demeanor shift into one of meekness as he looked down at his claws.
He didn't answer anything directly at all, which made her wonder if he was trying to hide his history or to run from it. In any case, he was homeless... and she had just scolded him for being in this inviting cave. Feeling guilty, she shifted her talons and spoke up.
"You... you have nowhere to go?" she repeated, and a sudden wave of sympathy rolled through her. Why would such an obviously agreeable and harmless dragon be without a home? Where was his family? Questions raced through her head at high-speed, but in a rare moment of tact, she swallowed them all. She scrutinized him closely, aware of his posture and shy, quiet voice. She never really used this cave much anyway, right...?
*I have a heart of mush,* she scolded herself, knowing already that she would give up her favorite sanctuary to the stranger. She wouldn't tell him so just yet, however.
"What's your name?" she finally asked. That should be a safe question for someone so eager to avoid their past, right?
[12:53:32 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked up, giving a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders at her question. To him, it wasn't so much that he had nowhere to go...more that he had nowhere to belong. He was a freak of nature, a mistake the Fates were trying to correct. He didn't belong anywhere; the best he had hoped for was that he would find somewhere to live out his life, alone and most likely miserable.
When she asked his name, he paused for a moment. Barely anyone in the clan had bothered learning his name, preferring the insults they mostly referred to him by. Again, her word choice and tone reminded him of his mother, and he decided that, even if he was still wary, he'd at least give her a chance...these last few days without anyone around had been torturous to him. "My...my name's Darwing," he said softly, although his tone suggested some form of self-loathing he was trying to hide.
[1:02:31 AM] Kelly: Zorayda waited patiently until the dragon answered. When he finally did, she smiled, her white teeth showing. He was so shy... it was almost painful to watch. Obviously, he needed a little nudge in the social direction... but she hardly knew him, and to push him would probably scare him off. She gave him a deep nod, a form of polite greeting in the Air Clan, and stood to come a few paces closer to him. Now that she realized that he wasn't threatening, she felt more comfortable being nearer to the newly introduced Darwing.
"It's nice to meet you!" she said, both out of politeness and out of honest eagerness. Making friends was one of Zorayda's favorite pastimes, dragons and dragonesses to talk to and socialize with. This dragon needed to come out of his shell a little, but he seemed kind and good-hearted enough.
"I see no reason why you couldn't stay here for a few days... this isn't where I normally stay, anyway. It's just a bit of a hideout for me... a sanctuary, I guess." Zorayda smiled wistfully. "You can really see the sunrise from here... it's beautiful."
Her tail swished back and forth subconsciously as she spoke to him, her voice going up in volume. She was genuinely excited to meet such an interesting dragon, especially one her own age.
"I'm from the Air Clan who lives around these parts. Well, for now, anyways... we're semi-nomadic. None of us like cold weather much," she explained, sticking out her tongue in disgust.
[1:12:48 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing moved to back off another step as Zorayda moved a little closer, yelping as his foot nearly slipped off the edge of the cliff, jumping forward again, looking at Zorayda meekly, trying to let her know he'd prefer some distance between them for now. He managed to smile at her eager greeting, even if he couldn't share it, but the smile never reached his eyes, and it was obvious he didn't have much to smile about in his life.
He did, however, give her a shocked look as she offered to allow him to stay for a few days. "I...really?" he asked softly, convinced this was some kind of joke. "I...I don't have to leave?" he asked.
But he stopped when he heard Zorayda's mention of her being from the Air Clan...Aimara had used that term before, but he could not remember the conversation it revolved around. The fact that he was near another Clan gave him pause to reconsider her offer to let him stay. "I, uhh...look, I'd probably better find somewhere else to stay. Your Clan won't want a...well, someone like me around..." he said dejectedly.
[1:18:50 AM] Kelly: Zorayda gave Darwing an apologetic look as he kept backing away from her. He probably preferred more space than most. She graciously backed off and pretended nothing happened. His half-hearted smile made her perk up, wondering if he would lighten up after all.
She giggled at his incredulous question. "I just said you could say, didn't I?" she teased. "I wouldn't joke about something like that. ...Well, okay, maybe I would, but..."
Zorayda's grin dimmed slightly when he said that he wanted to leave to keep out of the way of her Clan.
"Aw, don't leave!" she whined. "Nobody knows about this cave except me... well, and you, now," she reasoned. "I'd really like some company other than my family, seeing as I haven't actually talked to anyone new since I was born," she said, rolling her eyes. "And I promise I won't mention you! Please stay?" she asked, a look of earnestness creeping into her features. She hoped he wasn't so skittish that he'd leave already... she wanted to know more about him!
[1:22:54 AM] AustralianChaos: "I..." Darwing started to speak, before pausing as she promised he was safe and secluded here, and that she would not mention him. He looked around, almost as if verifying the cave's secrecy, before pondering. He was still sure this was some sort of nasty prank, and that either later today or tomorrow she'd be back with a bunch of friends to torment him.
But eventually he figured that, if that he did happen, it would be easy enough to flee the area. That and he was still intrigued by Zorayda, aspects of her mannerisms reminding him profusely of his mother. "Alright...I'll stay for a little bit, I guess...but only if you're sure," he said, still staring at his forefeet.
[1:29:03 AM] Kelly: Zorayda's face lit up at Darwing's answer.
"I'm so glad! I have a feeling we're gonna be good friends," she answered happily. Though she'd have to give up her favorite spot, it was worth it in order to gain insight on the world outside of her Clan, and to make a new friend.
"So... pardon my asking, but... what sort of dragon are you? You're obviously not from the Sea Clan... but you don't look like one of us, either," she said, tilting her head at him questioningly. "I guess you're kinda like me... you can fly and you have some feathers, and those... thingies on your head look like my feathers," she flicked the long feathers on the sides of her head to indicate what she was talking about. "Plus, you have a really cool eye color," she joked, well aware that her eyes were the same hue.
[1:33:39 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing managed another small, half-hearted smile at Zorayda's excitement at his acceptance, praying her comment about being friends was genuine...if it was, she'd be his first friend.
he paused when she continued, asking about his past, having to fight to keep his face neutral when she mentioned the Sea Clan. "I..." he started, not really sure what to say...he wouldn't lie, but couldn't tell her about the Sea Clan, either...her tone suggested she didn't like them, and associating himself with them could be bad. “I...I'm no-one, really," he said softly. "I'm different, I always have been, always will be." His tone made it perfectly clear that he loathed being different, and was most likely shunned for it, too.
[1:41:17 AM] Kelly: She grinned at Darwing's half-smile, hoping to encourage the dragon into becoming a bit more social. Though he'd only be here for as long as he needed, she wanted to know everything he did about the world.
A look of concern flashed over her face when he began stammering again. She wondered why he wanted to eagerly to forget his past... he seemed to stutter over the mention of the Sea Clan, and she wondered if he'd had encounters with them in the past. He didn't question her about the Sea Clan dragons, making her think that he'd already seen them before. Darwing looked bitter about the fact that he looked different, and she wondered if he'd been ousted for it. There was so much mystery surrounding him, and yet... she felt a strange connection to this dragon who was seemingly nothing at all like herself.
"Well... you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she said, half-disappointed and half-sympathetic. She eyed the darkening sky outside, the sun sinking below the watery horizon. With a sudden flash of inspiration, Zorayda turned to Darwing, her brown feathers ruffling in the sea breeze.
"Hey... do you want to go flying for a little bit? I know where to go to stay away from my family," she offered. A good flight right now sounded very appealing, and she was hungry besides.
[1:48:39 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing sighed, obviously relieved when Zorayda said he didn't have to talk about his past...he'd really rather not think about it right now, as he himself turned to look out over the ocean. Somewhere, further to their left, further north up the coast, lay the Sea Clan, though how far away he could not be entirely sure. He was glad he did not have to deal with their abuse and violence...but he missed Aimara terribly already.
When Zorayda mentioned going for a brief flight, he clearly perked up slightly, obviously keen on the idea. When she added they would avoid her family, he decided he really couldn't refuse. "I guess I don't see why not," he said softly, standing up. "I've never flown with company before," he added, remembering that the Sea Clan couldn't fly...unknowingly giving Zorayda a subtle hint to his past as he looked out over the darkening sky with a small, but genuine smile showing...he clearly loved flying.
[1:55:12 AM] Kelly: Zorayda's mind began puzzling pieces together as Darwing mentioned the fact that he'd never flown with anyone before. Had he always been a loner? Or perhaps he knew dragons that did not fly? His lack of surprise when she mentioned the Sea Clan clued her in to the fact that he was familiar with them. Did he perhaps have a brief stay with them before? The thought troubled her. Her family was always telling her how dangerous and untrustworthy the dragons of the sea were, and though she was curious about them, she would heed caution when approached by one. Giving Darwing a curious and wary sidelong glance, she stretched her wings in pre-flight.
Despite her sudden misgivings, she was glad to have found the other dragon's vice. He was definitely happy to fly... she could see him physically perk up, his head a little higher and his eyes a bit less shy. Somewhere deep inside, he was proud of his flying abilities, she was sure of it.
"All right, then, whoever catches a fish last has to eat a rotten squid!" And she took off into the cool night air, the sea spray touching her feathers. Zorayda's broad, soft wings spread silently like an owl's as she swooped ahead of Darwing.
[2:01:51 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing paled slightly at Zorayda's challenge, taking her more seriously than she'd intended as he watched her take off, watching her graceful movements with a look of awe...did he look like that when he flew?
Deciding he would probably never find out, he wandered over to the cliff edge facing the ocean, shaking his torso slightly, loosening up his muscles, before half-spreading his wings, looking down the long, sheer drop...perfect. Taking a few deep breaths, he suddenly jumped, leaping off the cliff edge without fully extending his wings, simply allowing himself to drop, his weight and gravity soon seeing him in a speedy nose-dive.
Once he felt he had gathered plenty of speed, he opened his wing fully, the partially-feathered, charcoal-black appendages fanning out beside him as he rapidly leveled out, still well above the ocean, before climbing back, letting out a loud, happy roar as he felt the wind and sea spray across his body...this was where he belonged, he loved this!
His dive had given him an extra burst of speed though, and soon he had swooped ahead of Zorayda, well below her, now just gliding over the gentle ocean waves, looking the twilight scenery, smiling to himself.
[2:08:59 AM] Kelly: Zorayda felt rather than heard Darwing's takeoff behind her, and she smiled to herself. There really was no better feeling than to have fresh air whip through her feathers, to have the skies at her command... with a little start of surprise, she saw him diving below her, only to whip his black wings out at the last second and get ahead of her. He was closer to the water than she was now. Zorayda's eyed widened in surprise at his natural ability to fly. He was better than some of the Air Clan, and that was really saying something.
When he roared, she laughed, though the wind snatched the sound from her throat before it could get anywhere. Taking a deep breath, she let out a high-pitched, trilling cry, a signature sound from the Air Clan kind. It was a mix between an eagle's piercing screech and a lion's roar, but it rivaled the eagerness of Darwing's roar all the same. Darwing's form lighted swiftly in the darkness as he skimmed the water.
"Oh, no you don't!" Zorayda called cheekily, and did a sort of flat-spin as she purposefully tumbled quickly towards the sea. At the last second, she snapped her wings out, halting her downward progress. Her long body was pointed straight like an arrow as she came alongside Darwing, grinning at him.
[2:15:55 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked up at the strange, high cry, noticing it was Zorayda that caused it...clearly her kind of dragons made a different sound to ones like him...although he sounded similar to the Sea Dragons with his roaring...but different enough to be distinctive.
When she suddenly spun and dived down, coming into an identical glide beside him, he glanced at her in awe again. "Nice!" he said, lost in the moment. He quickly remembered her challenge, though, and upon noticing a flash of movement under the water, promptly turned away from Zorayda, diving with startling suddenness, promptly vanishing under the water with a loud splash. Growing up in the Sea Clan meant he was also rather adept in the water, even if his body wasn't exactly built for it.
He was under for only a few seconds, before burst up once more, spraying seawater all around him as he flapped his now-sodden wings, getting back up to a safe distance over the waves, his fore claws firmly gripping a squirming, struggling fish...he'd been fishing basically since he could swim, since his father, while providing for his family, would not let him eat anything he caught, unless Aimara gave it to him directly...from the moment he was physically able, he'd had to fend for himself.
[2:24:57 AM] Kelly: Zorayda just laughed at Darwing's compliment, glad to have another dragon to give her some form of camaraderie while she flew. She blinked as he suddenly moved--then cried out in alarm as he dove straight into the water. With a few startled bugles, she automatically began to circle around the spot where he went under, utterly at a loss as to how she could help him. But then his body suddenly rushed past her, dripping wet with salt water. He seemed perfectly fine as he gripped a fat fish in his claws, looking satisfied.
Zorayda closed her mouth, suddenly aware that it had been hanging open. Dragons did NOT just dive into water like that! Her own feathers were not built for the water, and if she ever tried doing what he just did, she'd become sodden and heavy, and more than likely drown. Collecting herself, she called to him in indignation.
"Darwing! Are you all right?! You scared me!" she shouted above the rushing wind, her wings automatically keeping her alight.
[9/25/2011 7:44:45 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing's exhilarated grin vanished as he saw Zorayda's shocked, indignant look, making him edge away from her slightly...he'd scared or angered her, probably both, and now he was worried about the repurcussions.
When she scolded him, and asked if he was alright, he was briefly confused, edging away from her a little more. "Why?" he asked tentatively, although loud enough to let his voice carry over the wind. "I...I'm sorry...I don't know what I did..." he said, not realising that her kind could not swim, due to their feathers. He also had no idea that his obvious experience in swimming was another clue to his fast...a series of clues he was giving up too easily.
[9/25/2011 7:49:42 PM] Kelly: Zorayda's concerned gaze deepened as Darwing's sudden happiness popped like a bubble. He was obviously afraid that she'd do or say something to him... but why? And how could he swim?! No sane dragon would do that--well, besides the Sea Clan... The Sea Clan. Darwing had to be associated with them somehow, it was impossible not to be. There were far too many convenient clues for it NOT to be.
After a few tense moments of silent flight, she shouted out her answer.
"None of us go into the water. Our feathers become heavy and we cannot swim well... therefore effectively drowining us. It has happened to many fledglings before," she explained. She then frowned at the fish in his claws.
"Looks like you won..." she shouted, disappointed that she wasn't able to best him. Perhaps she'd underestimated his abilities...
[7:55:33 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked down, realizing what she was so worried about. She could not swim, and had assumed the same of him. "I...I'm sorry," he said softly. "I-I didn't realize..." he looked over at her as she declared his victory, a little surprised, before remembering everything...and how carefree he had been around her.
Feeling shy once again all of a sudden, he averted his gaze, before climbing into the air, wheeling around and heading back for the cliffside cave they had met on, soon landing lightly on it, looking back to the ocean, praying he hadn't made too big a mistake...she had just offered to let him stay, would she change her mind now?
[8:01:10 PM] Kelly: Zorayda quickly snatched a close fish out of the water with her long talons as Darwing retreated back into his shell. She was unsure of what to think of him now, being possibly associated with the Sea Clan dragons... hopefully he didn't have any bad intentions. So far he seemed nice enough, but she would be cautious around him all the same. It paid to be careful as a dragon--it often meant the difference between life and death.
As he lighted upon the cliff's edge once more, she followed him at a safe distance, gobbling down the fish whole. It filled her belly partially, enough to keep her hunger at bay.
"It's all right, you know... you just worried me for your safety," she explained to him as he became shy once more. After watching him closely, her eyes tracking his movements, she couldn't hold it in.
"Darwing... are you... are you sure you don't know some of the Sea Clan dragons? I mean... my family doesn't like them, but you don't act at all like what my family has told me... And, well... you can swim, and you didn't ask about them when I mentioned them... perhaps you just met them while wandering?" she tilted her head at him, but her body was curled in slightly in a defensive posture. "I've always been curious about the sea dragons, because I've never actually talked to them..."
[8:06:54 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing nodded as Zorayda explained her worry for him, even as his eyes widened in surprise at her actually caring for his safety. But when Zorayda asked about the Sea Clan, and his association with them, he couldn't hide the agitated, nervous look as he shuffled slightly, looking around to make sure he could fly off quickly if need be. It was obvious now, he'd definitely associated with them before...and if Zorayda's family didn't like his home clan, his time here was as good as over now.
Darwing sighed...there was no point in lying. Not only was it disrespectful and wrong, according to his mother, but the truth usually ended up getting out, anyway. "I..." he started, before pausing. "I know them..." he said softly, simply not telling the whole truth, rather than flat-out lying. But the hurt and misery in his eyes was clear, and definitely suggested plenty of bad memories.
[8:15:59 PM] Kelly: "You do know them?" Zorayda repeated, surprised that her hunch was correct. "Oh... were they... were they as mean as they sound?" her eyes were filled with a hint of fear. "I heard that the Sea and Air clans used to fight a lot... I hope they treated you kindly," she said softly, feeling her face get a little warm. Though he'd just admitted his association with the sea dragons, she already felt attached to Darwing. He made her feel like she just wanted to take him and give him a sisterly cuddle whenever he displayed his shy demeanor. He was just too darn cute for his own good!
She cautiously stepped to just the outside of his personal bubble and grinned at him.
"Well, you don't look like a Sea Clan dragon, so as long as you're more careful, nobody else you meet would find out!" she assured him. "You can still stay here... I have to leave soon, though," she said sadly. "I'll be back tomorrow. You can tell me all you know about the Sea Clan tomorrow... please?" she asked. "I just... want to know why there is so much hatred towards them from my clan's end... it doesn't seem fair to judge them when I haven't even met them yet," she said, the end part more to reassure herself than to explain to Darwing.
[9/25/2011 8:21:01 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing nodded softly to confirm Zorayda's final question that he knew them. He was about to answer Zorayda's question about them being mean when she continued on, speaking about past fights between them, a fact that surprised him. No-one in the Sea Clan had ever even mentioned the Air Clan before, aside from Aimara, a reference he still could not remember the context of. He ducked his head at her hope of being treated kindly, trying to hide his hurt.
When she tried to reassure him by telling him that as long as he was quiet, no-one else would find out, he looked back up at her. "You mean...you won't tell?" he asked disbelievingly. Was she really going to give him that big of a break? But she continued on, reminding him that it was getting late. "I...I'll try," he said to her request to learn more about the Sea Clan, not really sure if he could, before turning back to the cave. "You...are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?" he asked one more time. "It's really no trouble if you want me somewhere else."
[9/25/2011 8:25:54 PM] Kelly: Zorayda shook her head when Darwing asked her if he would tell her clan about his history.
"No, I promised I wouldn't even mention you being here!" she laughed. "I don't go back on promises. And yeah, it's fine if you stay here," she reassured him flippantly, obviously thinking that it wasn't that big of a deal. "You don't seem like the type to go around attacking dragons... unlike a lot of rogues. Just leave some space for me when I want to take a nap," she teased, giggling.
"Well, goodbye, then," Zorayda finally said, not really wanting to leave. He was just so kind, and he seemed so lost and scared... but he'd be okay, wouldn't he? There was plenty of food and a warm place to sleep and keep away from other dangerous dragons... and plus, she'd check up on him once in a while.
With a final look back at him, she smiled, and then spread her wings to take off into the night sky.
[9/25/2011 8:29:52 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing nodded. "I...goodbye," he mumbled awkwardly, not used to someone so kindly dismissing him, watching as she took off into the sky, clearly heading back to her clan as he turned around, walking into the cave, sighing as he found the spot he had been napping on earlier, curling up once, trying to make sense of the day so far.
He had met another dragon, from the 'Air Clan', and despite expecting another torrent of abuse, like always, she had instead turned out to be extremely nice...aside from her rather outgoing and excitable personality, she seemed to have the same kind, caring attitude Aimara always had. Shuffling to find a more comfortable position, he drifted off slowly, wondering what tomorrow would hold...he really hoped this wasn't just a lucky one-off meeting, and that maybe, just maybe, he was finally getting a break.
[8:03:59 PM] Kelly: The sun peeked slowly over the horizon as Zorayda snoozed, breathing softly as she snuggled closely to her little sister. Her eyes snapped open as if her name was called when the light hit her face, and after a few blinks, she looked down at herself.
Her claws were under Rei's body slightly, the female dragoness's pale yellow feathers fluttering softly as a warm sea breeze wooshed through the Air Clan's official den. Thinking carefully, Zorayda gently extracted herself from her sister's body, smiling softly to herself. Though Rei could be a bit distanced from her big sister, due to her immature age and sibling rivalry, her actions often spoke volumes of her loyalty to her big sister.
She remembered their brief conversation last night, catching up with one another. Rei was used to Zorayda's solo outings, having been accustomed to her big sister's desire for more freedom and individuality than most of her clan.
Finally free, the brown-and-gray dragoness silently flew away from her family, straight towards her new friend Darwing. Her heart thudded excitedly in her chest at the thought of talking to him again, a stranger and outsider who must know much more than she did. That and he was just nice in general. The small cave finally became visible amongst a small cluster of pointed stones and craggy rocks being beaten by waves, and she swept upon the rock face quietly.
She walked slowly into the cave mouth, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. The sun had risen slightly as she'd flown, but the back of the cave was still pitch-black. Zorayda'd been born with a special ability to see in utter darkness, however, and used it to find Darwing asleep in the back of the cave.
"Good morning, Darwing," she said softly, in case he was a light sleeper.
[8:14:33 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing, as it turned out, was already awake when Zorayda arrived, used to waking early...oversleeping had always generated a scolding from his father, and he'd quickly learned to be up early, usually before sunrise. As such, by the time Zorayda landed on the ledge just outside the cave mouth, blocking the sunrise, Darwing was already resting down back, wide-awake.
He managed a soft smile as Zorayda greeted him, turning his head to look at her, just happy to see her...happy that she came back again. "Morning, Zorayda," he replied softly. "Sleep well last night?" he asked, maintaining a polite air his mother has encouraged him to use with everyone he could.
[8:23:50 PM] Kelly: Zorayda grinned back at Darwing's smile, fluttering her feathers.
"Slept just fine! Except when my sister hit me in the face with her tail... but other than that, well," she grumbled jokingly. She settled down on her haunches and looked straight at Darwing, smiling. "So... shall we fly? I noticed how much you liked flying with a partner yesterday, and... well, it was fun!" She said, winking. Without really pausing for an answer, she made her way towards the front of the cave again, wings twitching excitedly.
"I've yet to have breakfast... and the last one to catch a fish today has to snort seaweed!" She teased, sticking her tongue out between her teeth with her eyes closed. Then, with an exuberant laugh, she leapt out, quickly flapping her wings to make up for the rocks blocking the sea drafts at that angle, and began searching the water for fish with her eagle eyes.
[8:31:19 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing smiled, although frowned slightly at the mention of her sister hitting her during her sleep. Zorayda's joking attitude suggested it was nothing more than an accident, but Darwing had siblings of his own back at the Sea Clan...ones that also hit him while he slept, although their disturbing impacts were far from accidental.
When she suggested flying again, though, he perked back up...he did enjoy yesterday's flight, and now that he was aware of Zorayda's joking nature, he didn't take her threat of having to snort seaweed if he lost seriously...not entirely, at least.
This time, when he took off, he didn't dive down the cliff-face, instead flapping his half-feathered wings hard, moving out to meet Zorayda high about the ocean, already smiling at the sensation of the wind in his muzzle. This, right here, in the air, was where he belonged.
[8:38:11 PM] Kelly: Zorayda watched Darwing approach her from behind out of the corner of her eye, smirking to herself. This time, she knew his abilities, and she would definitely win. With a clever but silly idea in her head, she implemented one of her many expert flying skills and swooped right towards him, doing a neat loop by first flying just beneath him and inches from his claws, then looping so she was looking at him upside down for a split second.
Hoping that this would distract him long enough, she instantly snatched a fish from the water with a talon in the descent of her loop, laughing and whooping with unbridled joy.
[8:42:37 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing hesitated as she came towards him, wondering what was going on. Yelping and flinching back as she almost ran into him...only to pass under him, before looping over him, then diving back down, skimming the water briefly before climbing back up, a fish in her claws as she laughed and cheered.
Darwing, meanwhile, was trying to recover his rattled nerves, clearly a little unsteady in his flight now. For a brief moment, he had been certain that Zorayda was trying to attack him, that everything that had happened in the past day was a lie. The fear of injury along with the feeling of betrayal had left him highly rattled, not noticing Zorayda's exuberant cheering, trying to recover from his emotional rollercoaster and slow his thumping heart rate.
[8:47:58 PM] Kelly: Zorayda's laughs died down slowly as her stomach urged her to eat the prey she'd caught, and with a snap of her jaws, it was sliding down her throat. She licked her lips as her wings straightened in auto-flight, a habit of muscle memory. A second later, though, she felt the tip of Darwing's black wing knock into hers slightly and she turned to look at him.
The look on his face was one of fear and anxiety, and it was apparently unsettling his previously smooth flight. Perhaps doing such a trick wasn't very smart of her for flying with a lone flier... With a soft, trilling call, she tried to get his attention.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized loudly over the wind.
[8:51:34 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing jumped rather violently at Zorayda's trilling call, looking at her rather warily...but her apologetic tone did help soothe some of Darwing's anxiety...clearly she had not meant to frighten him like she did. "I...I'm okay, I guess," he replied. "You just startled me a bit," he explained, although he was clearly underplaying how badly he had been scared.
Sighing softly, part of it out of relief, he turned and, skimming the ocean's surface, quickly snatched a fish of his own, this one much smaller than yesterday's catch, barely a snack. Shrugging, he gulped it down, regardless, before returning to Zorayda's side. "Guess I lost today..." he said softly.
[8:59:19 PM] Kelly: Zorayda's face held nothing but concern as Darwing's anxiety didn't seem to fade much. Why was he so afraid of her? She hadn't done anything bad to him yet... right? Knowing her habit of saying things she didn't mean, she tried to think back on their previous conversations... but she couldn't come up with anything prevalent. She let the flight continue in silence, slowly becoming more miserable as the minutes ticked by. The joy of the flight had been greatly reduced due to her usual ability to hurt others unknowingly... with a sigh, she headed back towards the cliffs and landed a bit awkwardly due to the slick surface.
[9:03:08 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing had once more retreated into his shell, leaving him unable to break the awkward silence around them. It was obvious by Zorayda's sad expression that she hadn't meant to scare him...but how could he explain that she hadn't done anything wrong?
As they landed, though, Darwing noticed her slightly awkward land, quickly using one of his wings to steady her a bit; just in case she rolled an ankle or something...he'd done that before on landing, and knew it could hurt something fierce.
Sighing, he sat down, folding his wings by his side as he gazed out to sea, trying to figure out how to explain. "Sorry about before, Zorayda. I just...I'm used to other dragons approaching me with...ill intentions," he said softly, looking down at his forefeet, rubbing one foreleg with the other nervously. Why, exactly, was he saying these things to her?
[9:10:00 PM] Kelly: Zorayda shook her head as Darwing started to apologize.
"No, Darwing, it's me who should apologize, I--" but he kept talking, and what he said silenced her immediately. So, his shyness was a result of others being unkind toward him? What dragon would want to be mean to Darwing? Indignation and confusion ran through her head at his heavy statement as she noted his claws rubbing against the opposite foreleg with trepidation.
"Oh, I see..." she said softly, sitting back on her haunches and tucking her wings in. "Well... I don't know why someone would ever do that. You're just so nice," she said, a bit bluntly but sincerely all the same. "Was it the Sea Clan dragons? Are they really as bad as I've heard?" She asked, unsure now if she wanted the answer anymore.
[9:16:59 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked up at her as she questioned why anyone would want to be mean to him. He was about to argue the point of his unique, and in the Sea Clan's opinion, freakish looks, when she continued, hitting the nail on the head.
"I..." Darwing paused, not entirely sure how to explain the Sea Clan's behavior. To him, they were horrible, but he knew his experience was not exactly normal...nothing about him ever was. "The Sea Clan...I guess they're a bit...rough, in a way. They're not so much bad as temperamental and superstitious...fanatically so," he explained. "So when someone different comes along...someone like me..." he trailed off, not really able to explain further, although part of him doubted that he had to.
He switched topics and pressed on, though. "For the most part, their good enough to each other, though...respect and honor are pretty important to them, as is strength...the strongest Sea Dragons are the ones in the upper classes of the Clan's pecking order, so to speak."
[9:28:19 PM] Kelly: Zorayda nodded in encouragement as Darwing slowly opened up and talked. She took it as the obviously rare opportunity it was and really listened. The Sea Clan sounded... rough. Though their traditions were much about strength, the Air was nearly the same, though more about speed, flying abilities, and the intelligence to outwit an opponent. Their hierarchy was more through bloodline than anything else, but if a dragon decided to challenge an Elder, he could win the spot through a won fight.
"The Air Clan is... almost like that. I don't know how they'd be about a non-Sea Clan-looking dragon, but I know they're set in their ways. We honor flying abilities and intelligence more so than brute strength." She silently hoped that her Clan would be open enough to someday meet Darwing, but she knew better than to voice that opinion or to act on it... for now. She didn't want to start needless conflicts. "I'm sorry they didn't accept you," she said softly, her eyes suddenly downcast. "I know how that can be... I'm not really good with other dragons' feelings at times and I can be socially awkward. That, and I've always questioned everything, and that part of me can get me into real trouble sometimes."
She scooted closer to him, smiling. "Maybe, though, we can be friends and forget about the ones who make fun of us!" she said with a smile. "We can be strong all by ourselves," she added, partially to him and partially to herself.
[9:34:46 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing nodded, listening to the Air Clan's emphasis on agility and wit over brute strength. If he wasn't so shy, he would probably have chuckled at it, since he knew those were things he tended to value, knowing he was weak compared to most Sea Dragons.
When she apologized over his lack of acceptance, he shook his head. "It's my lot in life, I guess," he said softly. "At least not -all- of them were bad..." he said quietly, remembering his mother, Aimara...without her, he would have died years ago. When Zorayda mentioned her own past, and the way her own quirks tended to sideline her from most of the Clan, he frowned softly. Aimara was like that, as well...even her relationship with his father and her mate, Bor'red, was strained because of her questioning ways, and her insistence on caring for him, of course.
Her mention of being friends, though, almost made Darwing fall over, showing just how lonely his life had been. "You...you mean it?" he breathed softly, clearly stunned by her offer.
[11:05:29 PM] Kelly: Zorayda looked at Darwing sadly as he denied his own right to acceptance, knowing that it must have taken a lot of abuse to make him sound so downright dejected. He then mentioned that not all of the Sea Clan were bad, and it made her feel a little better. Maybe he'd had a friend or something who had helped him out at one point, or had helped to shield him from some of the harsh treatment he'd had to endure.
Or, maybe not... his reaction to her offer to be friends was shocking, indeed. Surely he'd had a friend before! But his bright eyes showed the truth clearly--he was genuinely flabbergasted at the thought.
"Yeah, why not?" Zorayda said, grinning her signature cheeky grin. "You and I have similar experiences, though mine probably aren't nearly as bad as yours," she admitted. Occasional teasing was all she'd ever had to endure, seeing as she wasn't all THAT different from the others. At least she looked like them and was raised by the Clan... She pondered at that, wondering what a truly hard life was like. Her minor qualms seemed petty when he mentioned his own problems with the oceanic dragons.
[11:12:20 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing risked offering a small smile of his own as Zorayda gave him a grin, hoping against hope her offer was sincere. "Friends..." he said softly. Aimara had been a wonderful mother, but he knew that, despite that, he wanted a friend, someone his own age to talk and mess around with. Could Zorayda be that friend? "If...if you don't mind having someone like me around, Zorayda. Then...I guess...friends?" he asked hopefully, giving her that shy look he was naturally good at, even if he didn't realize how good that look was at disarming Zorayda.
[11:27:27 PM] Kelly: Zorayda nodded, her grin becoming wider as Darwing slowly accepted her offer. He seemed to say the word slowly, as if it was a foreign concept, and her heart clenched briefly. Then he did that shy look again, and she knew she was stuck. Yep, they'd be friends forever, she just knew.
"Well... now you need to show me how you do that diving thing. I can't do it, but it'd be neat if you showed me the mechanics. Wanna go?" She asked, eyes twinkling.
=====
The young adolescent dragoness yawned widely as she awoke, much later than the rest of her family who were either hunting, frolicking, or relaxing on the rocks. She blinked her emerald eyes a few times and stretched, her wingtips shivering at the same rate as her muscles. She glanced around for her sister, remembering that they'd ended up close together last night, but she wasn't there.
'Probably off hunting with our mother,' she thought to herself. But her eagle eyes didn't see her nearby, in the skies or otherwise. The Clan made it a point to keep within viewing distance of each other, so that meant that Zorayda had probably gone off alone again. 'Odd... she always spends time with us before doing that. I wonder if she's up to something...'
[11:37:00 PM] Kelly: After a few moments of thinking, Rei shook her head, straightening some of her sleep-ruffled yellow feathers, and took to the skies. After a few minutes of flight, she caught sight of her sister, off away from the Clan and concentrating on going in a certain direction. Stealthily, Rei tried to follow, but sudden spray from the ocean threatened to dampen her feathers and she wheeled back quickly. Gaining her bearings again, she looked around for Zorayda, but couldn't see her. Rei glanced downwards to see fog above the water's surface and assumed she'd gone under it. Ducking quickly under the damp cloud cover, she looked again for her sister, but did not see her. Grumbling, she found a nearby outcropping and rested there, waiting for her sister's return.
An hour or so later, Rei heard a high, trilling bugle--her sister's voice! Shooting up from her resting place quickly, she flew towards it and found a larger outcropping, complete with a cave! Smirking in victory, Rei dove down to land upon the rocks, finally catching sight of Zorayda.
"Aha! So this is your hiding place, sister!" She crowed, proud of her discovery. "What the heck have you... been... doing..." her words trailed off slowly as she saw the bright yellow...thing... standing next to Zorayda, shocked. WHAT was that... that thing? Snarling, Rei jumped in front of her sister, feathers fluffed in protective anger.
"WHO are you?! What are you doing with my sister? What the heck ARE you, weirdo?!" she snarled, her emerald eyes narrowed. Zorayda recovered quickly from the panic she felt settling in her heart and roared back at Rei to get her attention, immediately jumping in front of Darwing protectively and staring imploringly at her little sister.
"N-no, wait, you don't understand--" Zorayda stammered, her pupils constricted. Oh, no... Darwing had been found out! She just prayed that her little sister would understand, would keep him secret...
[11:47:03 PM] AustralianChaos: Darwing smiled as she did, somehow knowing he'd made a friend, smiling wider as she asked him to show her his dive he'd performed earlier...a trick he'd learned during his daily flying sessions he had to escape the Sea Clan.
But before he could say anything, another dragon arrived, her feather similar in color to his scales. He was shock into stillness for a moment, but instantly got the feeling back into his legs as she snarled at him and started angrily making demands. In an instant, Darwing had backed off several steps, cowering back in fright and submission as this new dragon continued threatening him.
But Darwing froze, shocked, when Zorayda jumped in front of him, desperately trying to stop the other dragoness. Zorayda was...protecting him? This new display was hard for Darwing to stomach...only his mother had shown -any- sort of protective behavior regarding him. Despite this, he still eyed Rei meekly, clearly frightened of her despite his larger size.
[11:55:15 PM] Kelly: Rei's voice got more hysterical and angry at Zorayda's actions, moving forward towards her sister aggressively.
"What do you mean, 'I don't understand'?! This... thing is an outsider, and probably dangerous! Don't tell me you've been harboring this freak in your hiding spot, Zor! What if he was just waiting to kill you or something??" Rei looked at the cowering Darwing menacingly at this, her tail lashing back and forth.
But Zorayda's feathers bristled as well, her own cerulean eyes narrowed. "What do YOU know? You've always been biased like Mom! You never give anyone a chance and judge them before you know them! Besides, he isn't from the Sea Clan," she lied, pressing her foot atop Darwing's as a hint to keep his mouth shut. "He's... he's from... uh, far away! Far, far away, from an entirely different clan, but he decided to become a rogue and discover the world on his own. Isn't that right?" she asked Darwing, suddenly turning to him and pleading with her eyes for him to play along.
Rei snorted, but backed off slightly.
"Well, whatever... but you can't keep him here alone! The Clan must know about him," she concluded, still frowning at Darwing and eyeing him as she would a poisonous snake.
"B-but..." Zorayda looked from Darwing to Rei helplessly, but her sister didn't look as if she would budge on the issue. Zorayda's heart filled with ice at the fact that she was unable to keep her promise to her new friend, and she suddenly found that she couldn't look at him anymore due to overwhelming guilt.
[12:02:56 AM] AustralianChaos: Darwing looked back and forth between the two dragons as their argument escalated, but physical winced and cowered down further at some of Rei's nastier insults...ones he had heard all too often, but had hoped he had escaped.
He winced when Zorayda stamped on his foot, which managed to hide his shocked look at her outright lie. When she turned, eyes pleading with him to play along with her story, he couldn't move, let alone speak to reply. For one, Aimara had taught him to be as honest as possible, and two, things were happening entirely too fast for him to keep up.
Darwing hung his head as Rei confirmed she was going to let the Clan know of his presence, though. He knew it...barely a day, and he was going to get thrown out, leaving behind his one friend...it was his lot in life, it seemed.
But Darwing heard a short, joyous call somewhere down the cliff face below them, and his curiosity got the better of him as he turned to look. And there, down below, was a small, clearly young, blue-feathered dragon, flying low to the water, obviously having a lot of fun.
[12:11:03 AM] Kelly: Zorayda saw Darwing's whole body sag at Rei's decision, suddenly hating herself for being so obvious. If she hadn't been so overeager to get here, she could have saved him his fate... it would probably have been better for him if he'd never met her at all. Tears collected in her jewel-colored eyes, but didn't fall as she faced away from Darwing.
But then a cry of happiness made both Rei and Zorayda jerk their heads up to see one of their own, a young fledgling skimming very close to the ocean. Very, very close...
Rei gasped as Zorayda made a little noise in the back of their throat, both sisters at the edge of the promontory. Darwing remained momentarily forgotten as they watched the young air dragon play, worry apparent on their faces.
"That's... isn't that Miro?" Zorayda asked aloud. "He's way too close to the surface of the water!"
Rei, her anger at bay for now, nodded in agreement with her sister and attempted to call out to Miro. "MIRO! Get away from the water or you'll drown! Your feathers...!"
[12:20:09 AM] AustralianChaos: Miro dived down, ignoring the calls of his sister behind him as he let his clawed feet skim the water briefly, before flapping back up and over a wave, laughing the whole way.
When he heard a call somewhere above him, he turned his neck around, spotting three figures up on the distance promontory. He was too far away to see Darwing's strange features, but he did recognize Zorayda and Rei. "Hi, Zor! Rei!" he called chirpily. "Come down here, this is so much..." his playful call turned into a stunned shriek as, too preoccupied calling to Zor and Rei, he didn't see the incoming wave ahead of him, thinking he was high enough to escape them.
The young dragon burst through the wave, and for a moment looked perfectly alright, if sopping wet...until his flight path became very shaky, his sodden feather losing their aerodynamics and weighing him down as he struggled to stay up. "What's happening? I can't...I can't fly!" he screeched as he fell, desperately struggling to fly barely two inches above the water. "SIENNA! ZOR! SOMEBODY! HELP!" he shrieked in blind panic, before the next wave rose up, dragging him under.
----------
Darwing paled as he heard Miro's panicked shrieks...but the moment the young dragon was lost under the water, he sprang into action, remember Zorayda's comments yesterday that Air Dragons could not swim, and could not fly when wet.
In an instant, before anyone could stop him, he was off the promontory, diving down the cliffside, wings barely extended, only enough to keep him stabilized as he fell. The poor thing was only young, too young to depart the world, and even if Darwing didn't know him, he was not going to let such a young, innocent life end so tragically.
[12:37:11 AM] Kelly: Sienna bugled softly for her brother as he raced ahead of her as usual, his excitable young personality showing itself again. She chuckled softly to herself, following him at a bit of a distance to allow him his freedom and fun. Normally, she would have let him be entirely alone, but... ever since their parents... her soft smile turned into a sad frown, her silver eyes turning a stormy ocean gray. She missed them so much... their deaths were so sudden, so unexpected, and since, she'd taken over their place as Miro's protector. At his happy voice, her gold-colored 'ears' twitched with the movement of her head. She heard him greet someone, and her brow furrowed, wondering who would be way out here. They were out pretty far away from the Clan today...
A sudden splash caught her attention, and suddenly the blue shape that was her little brother had disappeared. Her eyes widened in horror at the implication, suddenly spurring her large, lavender wings into action to catch up to him.
"MIRO? Miro!" she called frantically, her breathing and heartbeat becoming erratic. "Where are you!? Answer me!"
Sienna briefly closed her eyes, collecting herself and trying to slow her heart. If her brother was in trouble, she'd be no use to him in a panic. Another splash and she opened her eyes, stunned and relieved to see Miro right in front of her.
"Brother! Miro, you scared--" but she stopped talking as she realized that his feathers were darker than normal, and he was... dripping. Miro was soaked, and as she watched in trepidation, he struggled to remain airborne, sinking lower and lower until he splashed into the next wave.
Sienna shrieked, a strangled, pained cry as she swept out of the way of the same wave that'd taken her precious brother down. Wheeling around and roaring, she scanned the waters, only able to see glimpses of her brother and hearing his voice scream out for help. She desperately tried to lower down enough to grab him, any part of him, with her talons, but he was moving too fast, and she couldn't get low enough without going under herself.
'No! Miro, I can't lose you, too!' she thought desperately, fighting to stay calm as she tried to think of a way to save her only living relative.
=====
Rei and Zorayda cried out simultaneously in alarm as Miro was dragged under, Sienna now a visible purple speck circling frantically at the place where the fledgling had landed. Zorayda quickly took off, not knowing what she was going to do, but desperate to help all the same. She was mildly surprised as she noticed Darwing taking off, too, but it didn't register in her mind until she remembered...
He could swim!
"Darwing! Save him, please!" she cried out, but he was already shooting quickly towards Sienna and Miro, making her plea unnecessary.
