Dragon Riders (Robelwell202 and Chantal)

[Chantal]

Two days trip from the village, two days! Why her mother couldn't build it somewhere nearer? There were other lakes within easy reach. Sure, this one had an unusual sandy beach but still. Two days!

Lena was walking vigorously through the forest. Maybe she was taller and heavier than average elf but still she was moving swiftly, easily finding the way between trees. As she expected she reached the lake at the evening. The hut was there, sealed, waiting for her arrival, as always. With a sigh of relief she opened the door and threw her backpack to the ground. The smell of dried herbs and smoke usual for this place was barely perceptible after five months of her absence.

Lena unpacked the blanket and lied down falling asleep immediately. She was at home, finally.

In the middle of the night she was awakened by a mighty increasing flap, followed by a loud splash. Something big landed in the water splashing it all around, including the hut. Lena  jumped out from her bed, scared. She had no clue what could happen, but the silence outside encouraged her. After a moment of hesitation she repealed the door and looked outside. It was dark there, only stars were shining on the clear early summer sky. A scream froze in her throat constricted with fear. A huge creature was standing on the beach.

[Robelwell202]

Oh, by the gods, that was fun!  Storm exclaimed. Nothing felt so good as that!

"Did you have to have me with you?"  Karak asked, sullenly. "I've laready bathed today, and we still have days ahead of us before we reach home."

You could've jumped off.  I gave you the chance.  Storm retorted.  I told you there was a good place for a soak, and you know I love swimming.

"Oh, yes, and I'm supposed to jump off you from that great a height?  The only place I could've landed safely was the water, anyway!"

Karak, a tall human, lithe and wiry for his race, dropped to his knees, his leather riding armor soaked as he drank from the lake.  His eyes caught the sight of glitterfish streaming by, a sure sign that the water in this lake was safe to drink.

"Well, I suppose that this is a good a place as any to camp out."  Karak moaned.  "I'd like to move on, but..."

I am not flying any more this night.  Storm, the great black dragon, said.  His speech was 'felt' in the mind of his rider, Karak. I may be a dragon, but we're not gods, you know.  We do have our limits.

"Yes, yes."  Karak said.  "Well, I suppose I should pitch the tent, even though it's soaked, along with the rest of my clothes."  Karak grumbled.

No, you can use my wing tonight.  Storm replied.  They'll be stretched.

In truth, Storm was a young dragon, a mere seventy-five years old, and comparable to his rider's 20 years.  They seemed to grumble and compain a lot, but that was simply their nature.  They were a finely tuned team, and the telepathic words that Storm gave hiim was the ultimate proof of that.  Still, as young as they were, dragon and rider cut fine, grand figures by themselves, and an even more impressive one together.

We're not alone, it seems.  Storm blurted.  There, by that rock outcropping.  Maybe two marks left.  A solitary female.

Karak raised his head from the lake's water,and looked in the direction Storm indicated.  There, Storm was right!  A girl, it seemed, stood on the opposite shore.

"HELLO!"  Karak called, waving.  "Is this your lake?"

[Chantal]

Lena was paralyzed. This monstrous creature had to be a dragon! It had wings, a tail and it's size... no doubt, a real dragon! But dragons don't exist, everyone knows that! They are just a fairy tale for kids... This one was real, no doubt. With increasing admiration Lena was watching the agile movements of the creature. How something this huge can move so gracefully? "No one will believe me I saw a real dragon." She thought without taking her fascinated gaze of him.

Suddenly she heard a male voice. "Hearing fails me...?" But no, she heard the voice again. It was a human speech. She couldn't understand words but there was no doubt. The dragon could talk! The legends were truth - dragons not only existed but also they could talk. Lena took a few steps forward incredibly excited, trying to understand what the dragon was saying. The question why the dragon was speaking to himself didn't come into her mind.

She didn't realize she left her shelter and now was standing at the lake shore, easy to spot. The dragon moved his head and gazed directly at her. At this moment she realized how stupid she was. She was standing here alone, at the mercy of this monster which could ate her in a blink of the eye. The vision of his possibly huge teeth, fiery breath and big claws suddenly seemed very real. The fear would consume her if the dragon didn't say something. Yes, he was speaking to her! Lena didn't understand him, but the world "hello" sounded familiar, so after a while she managed to utter a response.

"H'elo..." Her whole body was shaking in extreme tension.

[Robelwell202]

I do believe you're an idiot.  Storm snarled in Karak's mind.  At this distance, she might not see you, or even hear you!  If she can hear you, it's a slim chance that she can even understand you.

Storm uttered a growl from his throat, and stood, stepping into the lake.  Then, with his wings gliding above the surface of the water, as well as his head, he started swimming across.

Would you be so kind as to walk around the shore, and meet me on the other side?  Storm asked Karak, a touch annoyed.  Humans...  no brains.

Storm swam effortlessly across the lake, keeping his head above the water, this time.  In truth, his favorite kind of swimmming was when his entire body, wings included, was under the surface, where he could chase fish and other animals of the deep.  He was a young dragon, and loved to have his fun.  Still, though, he had to make his greeting right, otherwise, he might scare this poor female, and he knew all too well what most people thought of dragons.

Finally, Storm managed to reach the shore by the girl, and he stood and stretched his limbs, arms, legs, tail wings, and his neck and head.  Once that was done, he lowered his body to the ground, laying along the sandy beach, with his wings stretched out flat.  He began purring, hoping that the noise he made would comfort the girl, letting her know that he was friendly.

Storm's great golden eyes fixed her in a stare, and his mind worked to give her a word.  He could freely speak with Karak, that was no problem, since they were, in essence, bonded by a link between their minds, but to send a telepathic message to another being was a hit-or-miss proposition.

Little Girl, Storm tried to say. I am your friend, and mean you no harm.

She may not understand the complete message, but hopefully, she got the important parts, friend and no harm.

[Chantal]

When the dragon didn't say anything more and just started swimming towards her she almost rushed back to her hut in panic. Suddenly she understood what does it mean "a cat playing with its mice." There was nothing she could do to hide from this creature. With increasing panic Lena was watching the approaching beast. Despite the fear she couldn't help but notice the beauty of the dragon when he emerged from the lake. As he stretched in his whole size the view was impressing. "Why is he here, what is he doing? Why hasn't he ate me yet? Why is he.... lying down??" Questions were running through her head like crazy but slowly she started to think the dragon may not want to eat her. He would already, right?

His eyes were shining in the dark, they were huge, golden, motionless, fixed on her. "Why is he not talking anymore?" She thought and then she heard a loud noise coming from the dragon. It was so loud and sudden that she fell on the sand, surprised. Low, constant, but tremulous sound surrounded her, she could almost feel the ground trembling under its influence. "Is he purring...?" She couldn't believe it but it seemed so. Yet dragons cannot purr! They are lizard vicious creatures not friendly purring cats! Well, the dragon in front of her was purring with no respect to elven tales.

Lena relaxed slowly and stood up. The dragon was lying motionless so she decided to move closer to him. She reached to him but hesitated. Would he allow her to touch him? She was wondering if he was warm or was he as cold as a lizard. Her mind calmed down, her body stopped shaking, she even smiled to the dragon. She realized he is trying to show his good intentions and means no harm.

"Nas t'met 'u, draa'gn. 'U are draa'gn, rit?" She asked and added with honest admiration: "'U are s'so pe'tty."

[Robelwell202]

Storm tilted his head, slightly, as he heard her speech.  Stunted as it was, it was still clear enough to make outthe meaning.

It's very nice to meet you, as well, young one.  Storm said.  And, please, feel free to put your hands on me.  I won't hurt you.

Storm stretched his head out, closing his eyes, and smiled, feeling the girl's tiny hand on his skin.  It felt good to be touched in a way other than Karak's.  Karak was his rider, and they were a team, bound until their death, and the were the best of friends, but still, other friends would be a good thing, now and then.

Suddenly, Storm raised his head, slowly, and turned to look behind him.  Trudging up the beach, his wet leather riding garments squishing with each step, Karak approached Storm and the girl.

"Oh, would it be possible for you to carry me?  Oh, no!"  Karak mumbled.  "I had to walk all the way around, just so you could make your grand entrance, and.."

KARAK!  Storm growled. We have company!  Mind your manners.

"What?  OH!"  Karak said, dropping his pack, as well as his lance and sword.  "Uhhh...  Hello!  I'm Karak, and this is my lifelong friend, Storm."

Storm shook his head, lowering it back to face the girl.  Steeing his eyes on hers, again, he thought hard. THis is my friend, and he is also harmless...  for a human.

"I don't suppose a fire would be a bad thing?"  Karak grumbled, rummaging in his pack for something to eat.  "I'll put the pire together, if you can light it."

Storm nodded, and stared into the girl's eyes agian.  We would like ot make fire.  This is not to hurt you.

[Chantal]

It was amazing experience to touch the dragon. This huge, dangerous creature was lying quietly in front of her and she was touching him. His warm breath was enfolding her rhythmically like a strong breeze, dispelling her long hair, uncovering long and pointy elvish ears. She could feel the power inside him, the strength residing in those huge muscles - he could kill her as easily as she could kill a worm.

"Did he... smile...?"

And then she heard someone speaking again. It wasn't the dragon, it was someone else approaching from behind the beast. Surprised, but not feared, Lena looked in this direction. She saw a very tall man. In the dark she couldn't see details but he was much taller than the tallest elf, he was even taller than her! Comparing to him any elvish athlete was thin and fragile. She was really impressed, she has never heard about people so huge. All her life she saw only elves and paintings of Gar'rosh - wild humanoid beasts who after bloody war pushed her people deep in the woods, far from their homeland. But who was he? Certainly he was not a stranger to the dragon, most probably they arrived together, maybe they were friends even? Lena felt jealous when this thought appeared in her mind. This man was dragon's friend! She wished to have a friend like this.

The man was saying something to her. His speech was very melodious and sounded familiar, however it was one stream of words, with no breaks. She couldn't understand him.

"I't rstee'd 'u." Lena shook her head and then she realized the man was saying something about the fire. "F'r god'ske, 'u are all we't! I'l bryg'n somm'etin'g t'mkee fire wi't!" Lena turned around to rush to her hut, wanting to bring a fire stone and some blankets for this soaked to the skin stranger. She would like to bring something to eat as well, but there was not much food she could share and certainly there was nothing for the dragon.

[Robelwell202]

Karak had actually wandered off, and with the assistance of Storm, they'd brought back a good amount of dead wood from the forest's floor, setting up a descent pyre on the beach.  When the girl returned, Storm shot a small balst of flame form his mouth, and ignited the fire, which soon burned magnificently.

"Storm, may I borrow your wing, so that I might change?"  Karak asked, to which Storm easily obliged, tilting a wing downward to give Karak shelter for his modesty.

Humans and their clothes.  Storm mused.  One wonders what you did before you thought of them.

"We had scales, but realized that they were limited."  Karak joked, which even caused Storm to laugh.

As the fire began blazing, Karak re-emerged in dry clothing, his long black hair tied with a simple leather lace.

"I'm going to eat."  Karak said, pulling some dried meat from his pack.  "Are you hungry, Storm?"

I've hunted today, as you well know.  Storm said.  I'm well-fed, 'til tomorrow.

Karak stood, as the great dragon shifted over to his side, exposing his great scaly belly to the fire.

Oh, that's wonderful!  Storm moaned.  Then, looking at the girl, he said  We would love the pleasure of your company, little one.  WE can even share our food with you, if you like.

"Yes, indeed!"  Karak agreed.  "I have plenty.  Care for some?"

[Chantal]

Lena quickly took what she needed and rushed outside. The man and the dragon managed to gather enough wood for a pyre. When the girl tried to come closer to light it, the dragon simply breathed a fire. Things fell on the ground from her hands. Yes, of course. It is a dragon, he should have a fire breath, right?. She quickly recovered from the surprise and came closer. The man was saying something and for some reason she got an impression he is speaking to the dragon, not to her. At first she tried to response explaining she has problems with understanding him, but he was not waiting for her to answer. Dragon's behavior was also suggesting he is talking to the man. In this moment she realized she actually can hear something but it wasn't the dragon speaking. It was a voice in her head, she was hearing it for quite a while already but didn't pay much attention. Now she realized it was the dragon's voice! She could hear him in her head! "I can hear dragon's thoughts! Can he hear mine?" Last thought was very disturbing.

Suddenly both the dragon and the man looked at her awaiting for her reaction, but she had no idea what they asked. Lena was focused so much on her recent discovery and all implications which appeared in her mind that she simply didn't hear the question. However the man was holding something in his hand in familiar gesture. In the light of the fire she couldn't see what was it but she accepted the gift and sit by the fire wrapping herself in the blanket with a smile and a short "Tan'k 'U". She was holding something soft what smelled very nice. It seemed to be some meat cooked in the way she wasn't familiar with. The taste, weird at the start, was getting better and better with every bite. Quickly she found herself licking fingers in a gesture of recognition.

"M' naam's Lena." She pressed the palm to her chest and repeated her name hoping they can understand her. It will take a while before she can understand them and speak in this melodious language even if it sounded so familiar. "And 'U?" Dragon's thoughts were easier to understand than man's talk for some reason. Maybe with some dragon's help she would be able to learn it faster. She wanted this oh so much!

[Robelwell202]

Storm still lay on his side, and Karak moved in to sit on the sand, resting his back against the giant beast's scaly hide.

I'm so very pleased to meet you, Lena.  Storm said, looking directly into her eyes. I am called Storm, and he is Karak, my companion and friend.  We're linked by a force that allows him to feel my thoughts, and understand them as speech.

Karak grinned.  "Yes, and he can understand my speech just fine, even though he has to lower himself to do it."

Storm laughed, and brought his head around to face them both. Dragons are a greatly misunderstood race.  There are good ones, as well as evil ones, just like any race.  While Karak and I are warriors, we prefer to be peaceful and friendly.

Karak beckoned to Lena again to join them.  It was warm, he had more food, if she wanted it, and Storm was pleased with the company.

"You know, if this is her lake, then we might want to ask permission to stay here."  Karak said.  "Although, since we don't have a set date for our arrival, would you mind staying here a few days, if she grants us permission?"

Indeed, you're correct, we should ask.  Storm agreed.  And, a few days here would be perfect, before we start the final distance home.

Storm brought his head around to face Lena, and again, he fixed her with his eyes.

Young one, may we stay here with you, for a few days?  Storm asked.

[Chantal]

"St'oorm" Lena tried to repeat dragon's name correctly. "St'orm... Storm" with a wide smile she managed to make it sound almost perfectly. The man's name was much easier. "K'arak... Karak!" She was really proud of herself. Lena tried this with few more words and with some trouble she managed. With every minute it was easier to understand man's speech. Dragon's was sounding very clear in her mind.

"'U under'.. understan'd Storm thougths. Am'I link'ed by af'orce too?" Being linked to the dragon in any way appeared to her fascinating. Lena sit closer to Karak and leaned back against the dragon as well. It was warm and she felt so save in the company of those two strangers! She truly hoped they will not leave soon. Lena wanted to know them better, to know everything about them.

"You know, if this is her lake, then we might want to ask permission to stay here. Although, since we don't have a set date for our arrival, would you mind staying here a few days, if she grants us permission?"

Hearing this Lena almost jumped for joy. She left elven village for few months to stay here alone without people showing her lack of sympathy at every turn. In her first day she met most amazing couple she could ever dream of! Not only they had nothing against her strange look but they seemed to like her. Lena was delighted.

Young one, may we stay here with you, for a few days?

"Y's! Y's f'curs 'U my!" Lena, full of enthusiasm, spoke in her dialect again. "I'd'be haa'py! Happy. I'd be happy! 'U can stay few months even!" She laid back again, resting her back against the dragon filled with joy. She would hug them both if they weren't strangers. She wondered if the dragon would feel her hug? Suddenly something occurred to her.
"Karak, how did 'U both arrived here? Storm was flying, but 'U?"

[Robelwell202]

Karak griinned as she directly spoke with him, as well as Storm.

"That's an easy one."  He said.  "I ride on his back, just above the roots of his wings."

You might also wish to know that, while a dragon's mind is strong, and you can hear my thoughts, you and I are not linked in the same way that I am with Karak.  Storm said.  Your mind simple appears to be more receptive that most other beings, and it's made communication much easier.

"So, I'm thinking that, while we're here, we should do something for her.  I don't know, mayby help her out with food?"  Karak asked.

That's an idea, and a good one.  Storm said, nodding.  The game's plentiful around here, and easily enough snared.  WE could probably stock her up for a year.

"Storm, do you think she beileved me, about riding on your back?"  Karak asked.

I'm not certain, but I may need to offer her a ride, to convince her. Storm said, as he swung his head around to nod at Lena, and smile. And, thank you for letting us stay.

"Oh, yes!  Thank you, very much!"  Karak said in agreement.  "THis is a lovely little place.  I can see why you like it."

[Chantal]

"No, no need to stock me for a year." Lena laughed. "First I'm staying here only for few months, second the meat would get rotten very soon. Although I'm grateful for 'Ur kindness." She really was. First time a stranger wanted to do something gratuitously for her.

"Storm, do you think she believed me, about riding on your back?"
I'm not certain, but I may need to offer her a ride, to convince her.

Lena was speechless for a moment imagining Karak flying high above trees on the dragon's back. What an amazing experience it must be! She almost fainted when she imagined herself. Would she dare? Of course she would!

"Yes! Yes please! I'd love to!" She jumped on her feet almost dancing in one place. "But on the second thought... I would like to do it tomorrow in the sunlight. In this darkness I would see nothing and I am certain views are amazing." Lena sat back wrapped with her blanket, watching dancing flames trying to imagine how it is to be a dragon rider. Her eyes were closing slowly, the dream came quickly and quietly.

[Robelwell202]

Oh, by all means, tomorrow.  Storm said, as he brought his head around to surround Lena and Karak, letting it drop to the sandy surface.  He closed his eyes, and found his own sleep.  Shortly after, Karak did the same.

The next morning, with the sun shining bright, Lena had found Karak reworking the pyre, preparing it for the next eveing, and Storm was in the lake, frollicking in the water, and singing a dragon's song of joy and contentment.

"Good morning!"  Karak said, as Lena awoke.  "How did you sleep?  Storm, as you can see, is bathing again.  He's like a human with his bathing habits, but personally..."  Karak leaned close to her, smiling.  "I think he's part fish.  That's the only thing that makes sense."

Karak returned to his pyre, chuckling as he did so.  Tonight's fire would be another grand affair, and with Storm's practiced guidance, there would be no risk of damage to her hut, or to the surrounding forrest.

"Please, join me for some breakfast?"  Karak asked, offering her more food.  "Storm's going to be a while, but when he returns, I'll teach you how to stay with hi as he flies.  He's a very safe dragon, and will make sure you don't fall off."