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Into the Wild; For SilverFeather!
Topic Started: Jul 22 2012, 08:16 PM (715 Views)
Silverfeather
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Samurai Pizza Feather
Kadrim didn’t fly too far from them, sticking to range of earshot so that they could continue talking while she led them onwards towards the village. At this rate, she hoped to have them at the village a little after dusk. She didn’t like traversing through the Jungle late at night, and probably for security reasons would camp with them before parting ways. She let them converse among themselves as they answered her albeit forced questions, though through the distance between them, they would probably assume it was due to distance. Which suited her just fine.

“Kadrim, if I may ask,” Lyre called out, “do you have any good spots that can’t be missed? Where was your favorite place? Was there any place that just... made you pleased to be near?”

This time, she was able to hear it better, because she had been listening for it. Her favorite places? She paused to think. “I would say, a good place to visit would be north, in Vien, and the forests there, but that has long since been demolished, and I do not recommend going there. Not even I would go there.” She paused again, wondering what else she could point them. “If you ever get a chance to view the sea, the large sea, on Nyushi’s side, do it. I always found it peaceful there. I’m sure you’ve probably already visited. I also liked the mountains, for all their dangerous glory. Being at the very tops of some of the highest mountains there. But again, it is also close to the desolation, and I doubt you want to get too close to there.”

That was all she really had to say on the matter. She occasionally dared to go into the mountains near what used to be the town of Vien, and she never really stayed long, in case she ever had a run in with another, or mistaken for a ‘taint.’ (Again going on the basis that she was a neutral entity). She kept the pace, but the changing landscape didn’t go by her notice. While pulse had a hard time finding stable ground, she was running into the challenge of darting through the trees. she could go over the canopy, for the two would no longer be able to see her. Vines draped and mingled and occasionally she was forced to stop and start trying to tear at some of the larger clumps that stood in her way. She heard his plea for her to slow down, but she thought it a moot point, since she was still having a hard time getting through the vine ensnared canopy. She did hear the comment of bones and the question that was posed.

“I can’t tell you.” She responded, fluttering out of the canopy and landing next to the two. She examined one without much interest. “A taint raid perhaps? There could be many explanations for what has happened here. But, I suggest we tread careful here. Whoever or whatever did this could still be around… and I’d rather not have to fight anything.” She hopped along, before them. “I’ll have to hop along here till the canopy above clears up there some. It’s getting hard for me to traverse up there.” She explained, ruffling her feathers before settling them down again.
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Aulos was unsettled. The phoenix could feel the tension rolling off his boy and the dragon, and he could perceive the stench, however old, of death that wafted up around them like volcanic fumes. Rot. He strained his neck, peering into the darker wilds. Even when his hawk eyes came up without an enemy in their midst, he still continued to resettle himself and flap his wings in discomfort. Shifting to a higher perch upon Pulse’s longest trumpet, the arctic creature pulled his wings in tight and puffed out his feathers. Flecks of white shivered off his legs, but, quickly vanished in the jungle humidity.

Pulse shared similar feelings. His muscles tightened into knots as he instinctually shifted himself forward like a battering ram. His mind, though, despite the influx of pale horror across their bond, held in a calm, if a little pressured. The boy on the other side was trying to grasp at the stable sanctuary of reason Pulse provided, but, his heart just kept sinking at the thought of what may have happened here. As awful as it was, he couldn’t take his eyes off the skull beneath the tree. He just kept wondering who it was, how they died, what kind of person it was. His head filled in the flesh and sinew on the face again and again as different people, some he had known. The process made him sick to his stomach, but he was too bewitched by looking death in the face to pull himself away.

Finally getting his bearings and shifting forward, Pulse heard Kadrim peeling down from the canopy. The upper levels of the trees were so mingled and in-woven by now that he was surprised she hadn’t come down before. That, or that she hadn’t pulled herself above and out of it yet. Her presence was a boon and the sonic seemed very glad to have their guide back on land with them to see this. Her answer, though, was less than pleasing. While his brows nearly furrowed, he realized that it would be foolish to be unhappy with her one way or another. It was unlikely that she caused this, at least not alone. And, if she hadn’t, it was even more unlikely that she knew of it. This jungle was vast and dark and, he imagined, could easily swallow whole parties of the unwary whole. It should not have been a surprise to see a failed encampment such as this, and especially not unthinkable to see death here. The world was a hard place even when it was beautiful, and Lyre saw an image of this as a delicate, winged insect settled down to rest atop the bare form of the skull. Its wings were large enough to cover the empty eye sockets, a funeral mask. The boy’s tongue caught against his teeth and he finally looked away with weary eyes.

Pulse nodded to the jungle air’s words. “You’re right. It would be better to be safe.” And he followed with a good length of comfortable distance between them as she bounded on. The distance was even more relieving as it broke the party off from the scene behind them and the hefty creature let out a hot sigh from between his lips.

Lyre, though, looked to Kadrim as she led them. He couldn’t help be struck by the matter-of-fact way she’d just accepted what they’d found. The death and bodies. It was as if... it didn’t even matter, like It was nothing but underbrush. That seemed to wound him as well, especially when he rounded around to the same idea Pulse had thought of earlier... that this may not be such a strange thing to find in this jungle. There had just been a war, after all. He’d also been kidnapped out here and taken far away from what he knew. The jarring thoughts made him feel clownish for reacting the way he did, but, his stomach still reeled and his mind still crafted the images of the lost people. They were people. They had been. They had been alive.

Hiding his foolish ways, he held his tongue and sat in silence. Even Pulse, who was technically younger than he was, had acted with quiet consideration. At least it hadn’t been magic... that would have been a whole other ridiculous joke on him. Idly, he put his hand back on the already sealing cut that Aulos had given him.

“Perhaps there’s another way around, if you can’t fly here?” The sonic rumbled with a tentative voice. “If we find a clearer area, It may be possible for me to take to the air as well. I cannot say I am as able as you are there, though.” He let out something like a chuckle, but mostly at himself. Pulse was a champion in heft and, while he could fly, his wings were not able to hold him up for long distances and he couldn’t help but feel a bit... ungainly. He wasn't exactly built to be streamline.

The quiet boy atop his neck gave him pause to look up for a moment. He couldn't help but feel they’d both meet harsher and harsher things out here, but, it would not make him turn back. His heart still followed the sun forward, just as much as Lyre’s did and they’d bear past these things together. Shrugging, he unexpectedly jostled the boy forward a bit and smiled a coy little cat smile. Lyre laughed briefly and patted his partner.

The sonic broke the lingering silence. “I can’t imagine you get many visitors out here, Kadrim. Do village people ever come out this far?”
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Silverfeather
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Kadrim had no notion of how her answer had upset the boy, but then they boy also had no notion of how realistic she was being. But it was well that he made no comment on how harsh her words seemed to the boy. Yes, they had been people once, but they, in her mind, had been long gone even before they arrived. Perhaps they were war victims now left to the claiming of the jungle. Maybe they had been trying to camp here, whatever it was, Kadrim made no worry of it, didn't let it sit on her mind and deter her from doing her chosen path.

"If we were to try and go around, We would have to camp out here a night, before reaching the village safely. unless you want to travel through the night." She didn't know how long this mingled part of the jungle lasted, nor how large it was to be able to circumvent it correctly, without going off track. But, if that is what they wanted to do, that would fine with her, she would get them to the next village as requested. She had standards that she held herself to, even if it seemed she had none to others. "Though, if you want to take to the air as well, we could try to the next open space we come to." She wasn't sure when there would be one ahead, but if they wanted to back track as well, it was up to them. She could walk like this for awhile, if she absolutely had to, and as long as Pulse kept to a slow pace she could keep up easily and lead them.

She was enjoying the lingering silence, but when Pulse asked her if she got many visitor she frowned. "No, not many venture out this far. Nobody from the village anyways. I'm closer to the Academy, and I seem to attract visitors from there, but otherwise, I'm usually left in relative peace and quiet." She answered honestly. True, she got some visitors from the Academy, many like them who she happened to stumble across, or they stumbled across her. And none of the encounters had ever ended violently and so far had yet to end so. Which was fine with her, seeing as she didn't want to waste her time in attacking those who she felt were beneath her. It was a waste of her time, and she normally shied away from it. Though, occasionally she did like to prod and push buttons slyly, ever so often. Just for a reaction. She hadn't done so with these two, because there wasn't any use to it, and she was perfectly fine walking with them with the occasional chatter amongst them.

"I assume you're both leaving friends behind, though, to go on this...journey of yours." She responded again, after a few moments of more silent. She had a sinking feeling in her gut as they continued onwards, her hopping like a squirrel from spot to spot, pushing herself off with her hind-legs, and then landing on her front to allow her back legs to catch up. Really, she wasn't suited for ground walking, but until they either got out of this part of the mingled jungle, or found a place to take to air, she would have to make do.
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The voice of the leading traveler seemed to put less faith on the possibility of another, quicker route on the horizon. Perhaps the method of travel would have been easier, but the extent of time was something none of them reached for. All of them had at least some notion of the dangers of the dark, especially this consuming jungle. Kadrim, who must have lived here for who knows how long, presided with the most experience and, therefore, the most valuable opinion when it came to survival options. Both the young boys had done their share of roughing it in the woods surrounding the academy, and, even on the outskirts of those, they’d had qualms with finding shelter in the dark. Lyre had been there and back across the country, but, being eaten along the way and spat out certainly got him muddled. If Tempest and Kialish hadn’t found him and Aulos out in the desert, they would have most surely made some scraggly animal a fine meal. The boys did not have experience at all. What they did have, however, was a certain uncanny luck. Luck and Chance, though, were fickle mistress.

Pulse slogged along through a particular mucky patch of what may have once been some sort of a stream. To the air, he seemed to bob his head lightly in an agreeable nod. “Perhaps a compromise. Continue on, if we reach a clearing, I’ll lift off with you. If not, we can keep going for as long as you’ll lead us?” His pace certainly was a bit plodding, but, his hefty steps kept to the dragoness like a shadow and seemed to lengthen if she grew faster. His shoulders rounded in circular movements as muscles tensed and loosened to form a shoveling motion forward. Even his thick wings, set out slightly to angles around his body, seemed to encourage the air to just sift right by him and his two compatriots. His ears, though, were ever perked and alert despite the slack in his movements. Something in the way he sorted himself forward inched on a fish out of water sort of awkwardness, but, it could be seen that his physique would be the same, if not worse within aquatic or aerial environments. Pulse was stout and sturdy, but that came with a certain calm courage. And it was enough.

"No, not many venture out this far. Nobody from the village anyways. I'm closer to the Academy, and I seem to attract visitors from there, but otherwise, I'm usually left in relative peace and quiet." Kadrim was an interesting creature. Pulse could sense innately that something about her was off, but not quite wrong. Something lost, perhaps? Or something gone. Something, either all at once or little by little that pried her away from the familiar presences that all fully sekkian bonded dragons shared. And yet, otherwise, she was like any other. She spoke and talked and made the necessary amiable gestures to a trio of strangers that most civil life encouraged.. Willing to help, though perhaps for a price, she led them on as if it were her job and, beyond that, she seemed to be taking it quite seriously.

"I assume you're both leaving friends behind, though, to go on this...journey of yours." Lyre looked up to Aulos as the phoenix preened himself. Flecks of cold ice wafted down like tiny brush strokes. The three of them had been a trio for so long. Since the lessons, none of them had seemed to have the time to branch out and make better friends with their hatchmates. It seemed odd to think they didn’t have as many ties as they should have had. “Some, Yes.” The sonic responded contemplatively. “But all of us seem to be growing out to different places and careers. We just chose to grow outward, more into the unknown.”
“Eventually we’ll come back to old friends, but, we hope to make new friends too.” The fair haired youth dabbed his voice in tentatively. “There’s a whole wide world out there.” And, if nothing else, hopefully plenty for them to help with. The world needed to rebuild.

The sonic hummed brightly. The trumpets that coiled out of his mouth seemed to resonate with the sound and turned it into more of a level, quiet horn blow. Though, as the sound came back to his ears, he seemed to quizzically fold his mind over it, as if tasting it. Flaring his nose for a moment, Pulse took a breath and held it before making a darting, pinging noise that swept out into the thick of the forest like cats out of a bag. The sounds that came back to him spoke echos of what lay around them.

“There may be something ahead?”
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Silverfeather
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Kadrim listened respectively, trailing ahead of them. She managed, despite the awkward hopping gait her short limbs gave her, to keep up with the pair.

"That sounds fine with me" She responded to his compromise. It would be easier for them to fly through this part of the jungle and perhaps all the way to the village, for if she remembered correctly, they weren't too far from the village now. There wasn't anything else for her to say, really. Things happened for a reason, and every one went their own way eventually. It was the way it worked, when there wasn't a a crisis, like war that through everything in Chaos. Thankfully, the war was over.

She was almost startled with the Sonic's short bursts of sound that he threw out. But she regained her composure. She had almost forgotten Pulse was a Sonic (as his many flutes gave it away), but his ability was helpful, especially since it seemed he could use echo location.

There may be something ahead? He finally asked.

She was breifly puzzled why he was asking, rather than stating, but she ignored the scathing comment that ran through her mind. She paused, and stood up right, tufted ears shifting every so often in trying to see if she could pick up anything. She was far out of her own territory where she knew it by heart, so the technique she had crafted was more of a diluted sort. She wasn't used to walking through this area, and she hoped that their was a clearing ahead. She would hate to have to keep walking and run into something very unpleasant.

"Well, we'll just have to take it carefully." She replied, finally, slinking back down to all fours and kept going on, every sense on alert for whatever they might run across. "Just keep on the alert."
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Somethings was a more apt description of what he’d heard call back to his ears, but, at least, it didn’t seem to be outwardly dangerous somethings. As Pulse interpreted the pings and ripples that resonated within the forest, his rider rubbed an ear and looked down at the lumbering creature. Aulos was unperturbed, as if he’d seen it all coming. The phoenix held steady on his perch and bobbed his head briefly in the thick air while continuing to cast an eye out. Their steady leader, though, seemed to take aim of her own senses to peer through the veil up ahead and her followers paused in her footsteps. The sonic imagined she had her own ways of deciphering their surroundings. His quiet call wouldn’t be enough to spark images within the dragoness’s mind, but, every little bit of air around them was likely a telltale sign of something. For all he knew, she had already figured out what they’d all had for breakfast that morning. Pancakes. Lyre couldn’t pass up pancakes, especially since who knew when they’d see them again. The moment passed and, then they were off again. Kadrim lightly acknowledged his finding and, with what seemed like a collected candor, merely cautioned them to have an eye open.

Their forward path went well enough with the skulls and graves left behind to be lost in the deep green and dark, but, whatever Pulse had accounted for up ahead was coming ever closer. Burnt wood wafted toward them with the tell-tale signs of fire. Pulse could almost smell the dead embers themselves while Lyre rubbed his nose, wondering what it was that they were almost upon. Inwardly, the quieted boy hoped it was something living rather than something dead, but, he realized that could mean a lot of worse things than he figured originally. He decided he should stop wishing for things for the moment. “Could you hear everything?” Leaning down, Lyre whispered to his partner as they went on and the trees seemed to part. “Not everything, but, many things.”
“Could you hear me?”
“Yes. And I can hear you rubbing your leg. But, I don’t need a funny noise to tell me where you are. I know.” Pulse replied, pleasingly. His wings rolled their joints for a moment while the boy sat back, strangely satisfied.”

From the trees, a small circle opened enough to show the remains of a fresh camp. The fire in the center had gone out some hours ago, but, the smell was more than easily sought out by powerful dragonic, and possible avian noses. The space between the trees overhead, though, was not enough to admit anyone or anything upward aside from a crafty bird, but, below, the makeshift base was dotted with lazily folded sleeping bags and heavy looking satchels. Curious, but, concerned, the boy looked around for any sign of life out there among the warbling birds and insects, but, his eyes weren’t powerful enough to pull either shape or movement out of the jungle. Pulse, with eyes rolling along the ground, frown as he saw what appeared to be a polished candlelabra peering from the folds of a sack. As the dragon shuffled closer, the boy was unsettled by the sudden motion and had to rebalance himself. Aulos had no trouble.

“These things were taken from a home.” Pulse nosed the edge of the back and pulled back the tucked fabric enough to unsheath part of a dining set. “Someone’s stolen them.” The boy, shocked, leaned over Pulse’s neck as if over the railing of a great boat and beamed his hazel eyes down to see what was the matter. “Oh no! Who would have-- We have to bring them back!” The boy’s golden voice was raised with devoted purpose. The answer that called back, though, seemed less than pleased.

“Don’t you touch our things! We stole them fair and square!” A man, middle aged, but hardened by labor, pulled himself from the jungle shrubs. He brandished a thorny looking pickaxe. “Get away from our camp you damn lizards!”
“No, Cargen, Stay down! Uhg!” A voice behind him seemed to shuffle, but, the surprise was lost. “...Moron.” And, in that moment, they were surrounded by at least seven people who’d returned to their beds to find unwanted guests. Three more men began to open themselves up from the jungle, but, it was a queer thing to see a band of so few take on two dragons without much of a second thought. ...The answer quickly came as a dire growled from the underbrush. It’s thick coat was tensed and pricked in the half-light streaming down from the canopy. A brother in arms brought a snarling face from around a tree.

“Pulse, I’ve never met bandits before.” Wide eyed, the boy was astonished.

“Look, just leave.” Someone, smartly remaining hidden, called out from the shadow, but, the men already in the midst of things had other ideas.
“Screw that! These rotten beasts have found us! We have other ideas!” And, to demonstrate, the man who’d come out first lobbed a rock at Kadrim with his free hand.
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Kadrim left them to their musings, she continued to send a small constant air flow, bringing the scents of the camp closer to them, before they would normally hit them. She huffed, hoping that the clearing would be large enough for them to escape from, and not have to deal with any of the pathetic humans that had bothered to set up a camp there. She continued to jump, looking more like an disfigured cat. Her tail was held out straight for balance. It didn't take them long to reach the campsite, and like Pulse she carefully started looking around. However, by the state of some of the objects, it didn't look like it had been left. It looked like the bandits had heard them coming (Which was entirely possible, they weren't being the quietest pair through the forest, but then, out side of Pulses' size, there wasn't a need too. Both dragons could easily take care of a threat. It seemed like they were hiding--either for an ambush or to let them pass)

She listened as Lyre found out that the goods were stolen. She sighed, but before she could say anything to ask how they were to return the items when they had no idea where they had originally come from, when one of the hiding bandits finally gave them away. She snorted. Some people cared too much about possessions, than their own lives and she finally took to sitting on her haunches, Towering over Pulse height weighs, only because she stood like a hawk or a raptor would. But not by much.

She examined each member of the group that showed. Some with weapons and threatening words towards them. She humphed in annoyance. Really? They thought they could take on, not only an air dragonness who could summon an gust of wind to send everyone flying, but a sonic who could make their ears bleed and knock them to their feet? Together they made a deadly long-range combination. She growled softly when they had the gall to call both of them Lizards. Though one person had the sense to stay hidden, and not try and outwardly antagonize them.

However, before she could even say anything, the first man threw a rock at her. It hit her on the stomach, and felt it Fall to the ground. Of course, to her, it was a measly rock, not much damage, but the human had finally annoyed her long enough. Kadrim was an arrogant creature, and everyone in this clearing was beneath her.

"Well. That was smart." She began in a scathing sweet tone. "Throw the rock at the dragon, surely she won't eat me." She snorted. "Who are you, to try and challenge me? Two dires is nowhere near enough to take down me much less a pair of dragons. And yet you have that gall..." She paused. "No, the stupidity to try, just because of some stupid campsite, and stolen possessions we couldn't even begin to return because we have no idea where you got them from"

She snarled in agitation, tail flicking to show just how agitated she was. "It never crossed your mind to just stay hidden and let us pass? We were only passing through. I have the mind to sit here and snap you in pieces just for throwing the rock at me, much less insulting the pair or us, who are far more powerful than you could every hope to achieve."

To some, she looked mad, angered even. In reality, she was annoyed. If she were truly angry or pissed, she would have just swept them away with a gust of wind, or killed them all where they stood. The fact that she was bothering talking at the moron was because she was annoyed, and really wanted them out of their way without having to do that. But, it looked like it would come to that.
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As the projectile hurtled through the air, the noise that followed it’s arc was of fools and folly. Even with the tuned guttural noises from the giant wolves in the underbrush, the only note of counseled reasoning came from the face not yet seen, and it was his silence. Up until the point that the rock found its way through the damp jungle air, Kadrim had seemed less than interested in anything within or without these greedy creatures and their pilfered offerings. She only appeared to look down on them from her lofty height. However, as the shot found powerless purchase, there came a change in the air, and, after being assaulted by insult and inhospitality (likely coupled with putting up with a pair of greenhorns), this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Her words started like perfume over thorns, but ended with a whiplash. With every mouthful spoken, it was more agitated and patronizing. However, these irksome thieves, while perhaps moronic, did not take well to her demeaning gesture.

“I don’t care what you are.” The man who had thrown the rock pointed at the now standing Kadrim with his pickaxe. “You damn lizards aren’t welcome here or anywhere. You lot are the reason we have to this anyway! Maybe it’s time for some payback. I’ll take every ounce of worth from that scaley hide!” And, with a jutting motion, the bitter thief shot his weapon forward in his hand. Instantly, behind him, one of the wolves darted out of the thick of things and galloped, snarling, toward Pulse and Lyre while the man started at Kadrim. Pulse, though, had been wary. His ears were keen enough to pick up on the movement around him, even if his eyes were weak in this half light, and, as the dire lunged, the dragon countered. Tensing himself to give Lyre some warning, the sonic dug his feet into the soft earth and, with a mighty heave, stomped his front paw to the charging beast. A rumbling, almost subsonic bass came from below and a shockwave burst through the forest floor to knock back the oncoming attack. The wolf flinched and was knocked back while the man with the pickaxe was thrown completely off his feet. Out of range, a second dire paused to look into the wood before pursuing Kadrim. It’s paws hit hard to the ground, but it seemed leery to stray near Pulse now that it was aware of his attack... it had no idea what Kadim would do, but that didn’t keep it from bearing its teeth at her.

Settled between his partner’s shoulders, the boy had angled himself against Pulse’s neck and pressed lowly, out of range. Flustered, he shot his eyes around the clearing as forms started moving. A man began notching a bow while a third man took leave to run at Kadrim as well. He hadn’t seen the first Dire coming, let alone the rest of this. It was overwhelming. he could feel his heart rising to his ears, despite his training and graduation. He felt so unprepared. Aulos, however, too not a moment’s pause to leap into the air upon ice crackling wings. Like a winter wind, he blew furiously at the baffled Dire near them and cried out. However, as the phoenix and the dragon were focused on the wolf, a fourth man came from behind and held a sword, meaning to use it. Startled, the mistral groped for his bag and, settling his hands, drew out his sling. Winding it overhead as the breath flashed out of his lungs, the boy hurled a clay sphere at the oncoming enemy. The object burst at his feet in a flash of disorienting light and confused him long enough for Lyre to aim a heavy stone straight at his chest.

As the other group was coming on Kadrim, Pulse snapped his mighty jaws at whomever was close. He rumbled. The sound, like kettle drums in his chest, radiated down into his arms in deepening vibrations. “This is a warning.” His voice billowed from his mouth as he flared his nose. The earth around him seemed to quake around him. Beyond him, and beyond Kadrim, a man at the edge of the clearing loosed his arrow straight at the female while the wolf tried to take a bite out of her. Farther in the shadows, a man facepalmed.
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Kadrim snarled quite annoyed that these fools had the stupidity to try and fight two full grown dragons. And with so few Dires as well. With both elements good for disrupting and keeping enemies at bay, it seemed that both Pulse and Kadrim had a better advantage of long-range to disrupt the gang that threw themselves heartily at the dragons. Really, she would rather leave and let them sit there and fume, but Pulse needed a place to get airborne. Once in the air, she could help make it easier for him to get to the next village. But first she had to help take care of these goons. What was up with people wanting to mess with her? She shrugged it up and snarled, a loose, feral one at the wolf that lunged for her.

Not only the wolf, but a man and an arrow went whizzing for her. She didn't have time to help pulse at the moment (though he was doing fine on his own for the moment, their weapons wouldn't do much against their scales) she spread her wings, and in no time had a tornado growing right in front of her, Small, but powerful gusts leaped to join the whirlwind. Soon it had enough strength, and she launched it at the group that attacked her. It sent them flying a good few feet away, but she didn't stop there, she kept winds going, so that it made them increasingly harder for anyone to get close to her.

She huffed, as Pulse gave his 'warning' She let the winds drop, tos see what they would do. Of course they were right back on her, and she was forced to start being more deadly with her attacks. She didn't care if she killed them or not, but she suspected the boy might. So might as well let them have their chance to flee before she started really getting at them.

As the wolf lunged at her, she whriled around, hitting it with her tail, and sending it flying into the a tree. A large crack could be heard as she didn't waste anymore time to throw more air at them. She would prove to these people that 'giant reptiles' weren't to be messed with.
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Lyre’s speedy slingwork took out the man he’d half blinded with a flash bomb. The foolish fellow, struck hard in the chest, fell backwards in the dust and decided to play dead, at least until he recovered. Startled at the sudden collapse of his attacker, Lyre leaned forward with a pained, guilty expression. Kadrim, however, seemed already settling into the swing of things. With open wings, she cast a twisting whirl of wind through the encampment. People, dires, and stolen items were hurled into the air. The makeshift beds and tents that marked this place as a temporary sanctuary were thrown into massive disorder. The man Lyre had downed decided to cover himself unceremoniously with a blanket and continue pretending to be dead. Along with this, however, the wind knocked into Aulos, who had only a moment’s notice to keep himself clear. His ice was sent every which way and snow cast out on the howling winds.

Pulse’s warning thrust the boy back into the structure of his saddle seat and, despite a worried glance at the man who was clearly having second thoughts on attacking, the mistral made ready for whomever decided to come next. And, just as things seemed to quiet down, a second round of attacks leapt into action. One of the wolves attempted to take another shot at the air dragoness, but it was swiftly met with the business end of her tail and was hurled off like a ragdoll before the winds kicked up again.

On Pulse’s side, as Aulos righted himself to bear down on the wolfe he was, until then, single handedly fighting like bat out of hell, but, the wolf had other plans. As a partner came around through the bushes, the two of them tried to flank Pulse. They barked and growled, as if trying to herd the sonic pair into closer quarters, but, the dragon would have none of it. Pulse kept his eyes on them and, screwing his hefty feet into the muck once more, let loose a reverberating
blast of subsonic sound that shook the very ground they stood on. The wet dirt rippled in response to the open waves of bone crunching noise and the canids were thrown off their feet by the wave. Landing some ways away on their comrades, they were heavily disoriented. The percussive blasts did awful things to their sensitive ears. Preemtpively, the steel grey sonic drew in a deep breath and loosed a subsonic boom from over his thick teeth and a gathering of would-be enemies were hurled backwards into each other, holding their throbbing ears.

Meanwhile, as Aulos flew above the widely flung attacks to hurl arctic winds at whomever became available, the instigator of the mess finally found his feet and shook himself right. “...You... YOU... AUG!” With a bad temper to match his bad attitude, he threw a nearby sword straight at Kadrim. The blade went head over heels, cutting through the brunt of the wind with a razor edge.
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Kadrim didn't worry about Pulse or Lyre, (and even if she did, she would have found that they were doing just fine anyways). She watched with unamused interest as the wolf hit the tree with a large crack. Most others were heavily disoriented with the sound waves from the sonic, and There weren't very many attackers left. Again, the leader did his best to hold still as she brought up the slicing winds that continued to destroy the little campsite that they had made. Not that she cared. They had been the idiots to bring this on themselves, and if they would be lucky to survive.

Her maw turned down in a scowl as the blade whipped it's way to her. However to the air dragonness it was nothing. She knocked it out of its path with her paws, the winds soon dying again as she glared at the leader, one of the very few that seemed to still be here and standing. "If you don't wish to die." She began, "You would do well to -leave-" She hissed at the leader. "Everyone of your people who are left. You are being foolish. And wasting my time." If they didn't get airborne, they wouldn't reach the village before dark, and they wanted to get there before the sun fully set. Nastier things than this lot were known to appear at night, and some of them could be quite aggressive, especially if they could fly.

She started to loom over the leader, knocking any more would be attackers out of the way, before trapping him inbetween her paws, making sure not to kill him, only to keep him pinned. "I don't know why you think you could have taken us on, without dragons of your own, and so very few dires, but you are stupid." She hissed at him. "And If you don't leave now, I won't mind eating you for my dinner. I am getting hungry." She snarled at him, wings partially out stretched like a bird of prey that just caught her meal. She had no fear of these weaklings, was rightly confident that they couldn't do much to her.
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The boy held on as his partner gave open admittance to kicking ass. However, even as the robust dragon hurled his element in attacks above and below, Lyre sat on bated breath and was unharmed by the wracking waves. From where he clutched at the base of his bonded’s neck, the boy was privvy to see the workings of Pulse’s countering blows, but the sound was broken by it’s own force by the time it came to his ears. As if designed perfectly to be as one of a pair, the creature’s trumpets and horns were conceived in such a way that the blowback from their blasts interferes destructively with one another over his back. The sonic could scream like a banshee and turn the forest to splinters with sound, but Pulse’s mistral would remain undeafened so long as he hunkered out of the way. The third of their trio, however, was not so immune. Aulos, upon feeling the force of the sonic’s wayward sound, had to fly up and away to be clear of it. Even the subsonic rumbles from the dragon’s subwoofer arms had push on the air, and it left the Phoenix to adapt.

The leader of this ragtag band of idiots, however, seemed not to be affected by anything at all as he got up and hurled his sword at the air dragoness. Likely, he was already deaf, which would also explain why he wasn’t listening to reason. He, did, though, seem to hear the clang of Kadrim’s taloned paw batting away the sword as if it were tin foil. And with that final bit of things, he seemed to become thoroughly disheartened at his chances of success. This didn’t stop him from pulling a dagger from his pants and storming up to the dragoness like some cocksure rooster. As she loomed, though, and as his bladder decided to give him an ultimatum, he rather decided it was best to just let this whole matter go. This was right before the much larger creature brought him down and took him in her paws. It took a great feat of willpower to keep his pants dry.

With their rediculous leader captive, the rest of the bandit forces began to make for the treeline. The man who had taken to playing dead under the blanket sat up enough to pull the fabric over him, and then, with a pained grunt, he shuffled off to the wood like a wooly ghost. Elsewhere, the dires recooped themselves, but, at the bidding of their handlers (and at their own judgement), they barked and snapped and whimpered back into the underbrush until only the man pinned remained.

“I think... I get your point.” The would-be leader mumbled with a clenched jaw and a defeated, if fearful disposition finally.

Lyre relaxed his shoulders as he watched the blanketed man scoot away. “Please get yourself looked at!” He called after, fearing for the unknown assailant’s wellbeing. Pulse, hearing his rider, smiled and sighed with a strangely quiet, amused sound. The boy, turned his attention in the other direction as the man under Kadrim’s clutches finally gave in and, truthfully he was very thankful. People had gotten hurt today... he didn’t want any more people to be wounded.

Aulos, settling down from the sky, brazenly perched on Kadrim’s paw and blew a gust of ice into the defeated bandit’s face for good measure.

Out of sight, the man who had secluded himself in darkness finally stood up and sauntered into the dappled light of the forest with a slow, self satisfying clapping. As he broke into line of sight, though, he pre-emptively had his palms raised and away from any weapons. He was dark haired and tall enough. His beard was clipped to a point at his chin. “Don’t worry about me, I’m not stupid enough to throw sticks. I don’t want trouble.” Smartly, he stopped and stood plainly where he could be seen, but far enough where he could have an easy escape. “I just want to congratulate this moron on a very successful mutiny. Lazlo here had the brilliant idea to convince the rest of my band to start raiding nearby villages. Brilliant, Lazlo, brilliant. I see you’ve also tried to attack a pair of dragons. Astounding, Lazlo, I don’t know how you do it.” The man clapped again. “Really.”

“You probably don’t give a rat’s ass, but you’ve done me quite the favor.” He looked back from the man to Kadrim, then Pulse. He didn’t seem unaccustomed to larger creatures such as they. “Take what you want, including him. By all means, give him a good gnaw if it suits you. Though, he’s likely not that much of a meal. Though, if you’re more interested in white knight antics, the loot came from the village nearest to the edge of the jungle. It’s called Lesserton and it’s in that direction.” He waved a gesture.

“Anyhow, I appreciate you handling my associate his ass on a platter. And I’ll be on my way.” At this point, the unidentified man attempted to make an exit.
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With the leader very plainly pinned beneath her, she huffed, glaring down at the man. Though with the other man suddenly appearing, she turned her attention to the supposed 'leader'--the real one by his talk. She listened to his story, claws not letting up on the man who was smart and stayed as still as possible. It was...a plausible story, and he did sound convincing, but really, Kadrim didn't care. As long as he didn't try anything stupid, than there was nothing that she was going to do, really. She was just going to get these two to this town, lesserton. That was what she was doing and she hated that these men had taken her precious time away from her.

"Very well." She replied to the unarmed man. She let the unidentified man leave before turning back to the man before her. "Now, what Should I do with you? I have half the mind to eat you." Whether or not he could hear was beside the point. She pressed down harder till the sounds of something cracking was heard before she released him. "I Guess that'll just have to do. I dislike eating humans...especially scum like you." Whether he could walk away or not was no longer her problem, she just turned to her company.

"Well? Shall we?" She asked. However, after observing the boy, she was going to guess that he was going to want to collect the bags of stuff and return them. Well, if that's what they wanted to do they better start now. They were still a good few hours away and by this time, they were going to reach the village just after dark. Which meant, she was more than likely going to not fly back in the dark. It would be better to leave in dawn.

"We still have an hour or so before sunset, and it'll take a bit longer to get to the town since we're walking, and not flying. We could camp out if it suited you, or we can continue on. It is up to you, I am just the guide." She ruffled her feathers, pulling out some that had been loosened during the mad scramble that had been the fight they were in. She didn't care either way, but they would be far safer at the village than out in the jungle, exposed. Sure, they were a dragon, but they weren't invincible. Another dragon or a gang of them could easily take them out or do serious damage to them. And As much as she was confident in her abilities, she wasn't that good.
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Even underneath the paw, the smoldering stare of the wide eyed, nearly pants-peeing captive was hot and bug eyed. As soon as the self-satisfied, but, ultimately innocuous man came meandering through the clearing, the mutinous Lazlo could not help but have a bit of the Damn-You’s. He struggled, but, mostly against the poker of his red-hot defeat as the bearded man continued to prod him rather snarkily. On the other side, Pulse kept his small ears keen and listened more than watched as this stranger came by. You could tell a lot about a man from his voice. Pulse quickly also deduced that the aggression, if any, was targeted toward the man already pinned. At least this one was not silly enough to take on two dragons, a phoenix, and a well-intentioned mistral. The hefty sonic stood stout on his feat and pulled a relieved sort of smile on his lips. Ah, it was over.

Lyre, who could now get up from the secure spot on Pulse’s back, stood up in his stirrups and looked over the hump of his friend to see the true leader as he spoke. Shoulders sagging, he was relieved that this was the end of it. Though, he couldn’t quite agree with the man’s suggestion for the pinned bandit. Surely Kadrim wouldn’t eat him! He was more than a mere fool to tangle with such a godly creature, but, hopefully that didn’t warrant loss of life and limb. It make him knit his brows some at the thought. The gesture and the name, however, threw the young boy a good hand. The Town! The Town! They could give everything back, just as it was! He sat back, golden glory filling his eyes as he was inspired with good deeds ahead. If he could glow, he probably would have. Pulse could feel a warm, genuinely altruistic radiance lit on the other side of his bond. It was very naive, but it was warm and it was innocent and it was lovely. It made his eyes smile. Aulos, taking the cue, backwinged off Kadrim’s paw and settled back at his perch on Pulse. The dragon didn’t seem to notice.

Kadrim’s attention to the man at hand, though, drew enough attention. Pulse could hear something breaking. It was at perfect pitch. In her grasp, the man wheezed and clenched his teeth, but, to his credit, he still kept his pants dry. Though, at this rate, they wouldn’t be for long. Pulse, with Lyre quickly becoming more uncomfortable, padded forward, but, the dragoness turned to them and merely expressed her want to move forward. Pulse was agreeable to that too. He nodded. The boy, taking the moment, leaned down and whispered in his partner’s ear. “Lets get over to the bags, Pulse. If Aulos helps, we can get them up here quickly.” He patted the dragon’s side, and the creature hummed as he turned to the stolen treasures.

Upon feeling his rider dismount and begin to load him with heavily laden saddlebags, Pulse resituated his stance and, with a brief look to Lyre, directed himself at Kadrim. The boy would want to get back as soon as possible, for the sake of the village, he was sure (and likely to keep from wasting too much of this air element’s time). “I would ask that we continue. You must have other things to do besides lead travelers.” He nodded again, respectfully. The boy, hoisting the last candelabra into the bag with Aulos’s help, drew his hands away as the metal grew cold, but, they’d finished. “Yes, we’ve already taken so much of your time. We really appreciate your help.” And look forward to repaying you for it, surely!. He smiled brightly to himself, but, turned his head down. Then, he got back into his seat.

“Nearly there.” Pulse’s basoon voice hummed.

The jungle ahead looked thick, but, overall, easy enough to travel. What would have taken several hours would end up likely being much less. And, before they knew it, they’d be out into the starlight. They both loved Starlight. Aulos liked it well enough.


(((OCC)))
Feel free to leap ahead to finding the village, if you like! I didn't have anything else planned, but, I'm glad I finally got this post out |D
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Kadrim, settled back down to a crouch, as she waited for the sonic pair to finish what they set out to do. It would probably make flight more difficult for the already large sonic, but if that was what they wanted to do, she was not going to stop. Besides, it wasn't like the air dragonnes herself could carry any of the bags. Perhaps in her claws, but that would risk them getting torn up or squished, and they probably wanted to return them in as good as a condition as they could.

Looking back up at the slightly darkening sky, Kadrim was positive, that even with the slight distraction, they would make it to the village before the sun set fully. If they were airborne, they wouldn't be disturbing the wildlife or anything that might get at them, really, and would make it more safer than already planned. Not that anything smaller than say a Wyvern would cause much damage or harm to two fully sized dragons with long range abilities.

She Shrugged off their statements, only nodding in acknowledgement. She didn't have time to waste, really. There wasn't anything else, besides fluffing her nest perhaps, that she could be doing, and rather this was the most interesting thing to happen to the air in a long while. And culminating favors was always a good thing, despite how little it may be. Tit for tat was her reasoning, and she would never ask anything of them that they wouldn't be able to do, or would go against what they believed in. She had her standards, and she also respected others standards and codes. Even if they maybe complete opposites, they had them, and while she may not necassiarily follow them, she wasn't going to stop them.

Once they were ready, she looked back to them. "I can help make flight easier for you once your airborne, However, I hope this is enough space for you to get airborne." Not only would it be safer, but walking, half crawling through the jungle was distracting, and gave her reaction time less room to work with. Flight was more her style of getting around places, not that she couldn't walk or run. It was just very ungainly and not very productive in the long run.

On word that she would help, the breeze did start to pick up just slightly. Tawny red and brown feathers moved softly as the air danced and played around the clearing, answering to the air dragonness' call. She might not be ancient; but she was old enough to have her elemental control at a high enough level. Considering that that was her weapon of choice, before having to resort using her teeth and claws. She had years of honing experience, and she hoped that she would have years more to get better. It was the only thing to look forward too, at the moment.

With some of the air current down in the clearing to hopefully help aide Pulse's lift off, Kadrim's own lift off was graceful. Not a feather was put out of shape, as she merely leaped, like a cat would after a prey. Legs outstretched still, before they curled back up as her massive wings took over, latching onto the currents that she had pulled down. By now the playful breeze was a bit more stronger in the clearing, but once pulse was up and out, the wind would settle back down ,as she circled upwards. She was a sight to behold, and now that she was back in the air, she felt more at home. She looked more at home as well, instead of looking like a ridiculous hunchback on the forest floor, she was a magnificent serpentine in the air. She didn't go very far, keeping close to the clearing and in earshot of the mistral and his partner in case they needed to tell her something.

Once the two were up in the air, She kept her word, making the air currents they rode stronger so that Pulse didn't have to struggle as much, would only have to ride the currents to their destination.

The village, recently been ransacked and slowly recovering, was small, but none of the villagers missed the sound of wing beats, or the sight of two large dragons slowly descending to land on the outskirts. Instead of being met with fanfare or even indifference, the villagers were cautious, unsure of the two. Only a natural reaction; especially after being raided. Kadrim didn't care, wasn't planning on staying the night. She had done what she said she was going to do. Here was the small village, and from their, they could find the trail leading them onwards to wherever their destination lie.

"Here we are. I am sure the villagers will be very appreciative that you have returned their stuff" She responded. "May your journey be filled with luck, and if you're ever in need of something, you can always come find me."

She didn't have to remind them that there would be a small favor to be owed, they already knew that. But she wasn't going to state out that she'd find them when she needed it, because it didn't work like that. Time would put them in a situation that her favor could be called upon. Much like in the clearing, she leapt up into the currents, and her graceful form flew back, the sun highlighting her dark browns and reds as she headed away from the setting sun.
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