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Post by Kitten King on Sept 18, 2012 15:22:17 GMT -5
Morning came slowly. Mika's sleep was patchy and easily disturbed, with flashes of odd dreams barely remembered. A splash of home here, a flicker of fire there, and the sight of a familiar face or two or three... it was a long night. It always seemed to be when she came to these mountains. It made her wonder why she was still coming.
"Morning, love," Xan mewed quietly from his space next to her. She rolled over, blinking eyes blearily at him. He looked as disheveled as she felt.
"Morning," she muttered into her sleeping bag, before groaning and pushing to sit up. She rubbed at her eyes and ran her hands through her bangs as a loose petal fluttered to the ground beside her. "We slept horrible, huh..."
"We did," Xan agreed, stretching his back with a grunt of his own. "But, oof, we've done harder things on less energy." It was kind of pitiful, but true. They'd been through worse than this.
Mika began packing up the tent again, even quicker this time than last. She didn't like being out in the open, when the morning hunts might begin before they knew it. Just because they hadn't run into any more dragons than Lyco didn't mean they weren't out there, and a lot of them were right assholes. They might not throw any literal punches, but they had tongues as sharp as their claws, some of them...
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Post by Silver on Sept 18, 2012 15:45:46 GMT -5
“Good morning.” Shayla greeted as Mika appeared from the small tent. The girl looked just as tired as she felt, and that was definitely not a good thing. If their situation was not so precarious, she would suggest the rest a bit longer. Unfortunately, this was not the best area to camp around for long. There were no good areas of cover anywhere in sight unless they wanted to backtrack down the mountain and undo all of their progress.
“Is there another secret path?” Shayla asked, hopeful. Their chances of crossing the summit of this mountain without being seen by a dragon was miniscule.
Halcy’s eyes darted up to the sky as a dark shape flew by at the edge of his field of vision. Just a bird... Still, it would be incredibly difficult to explain to a dragon why they were so far from the main road. There was no way around the fact that, at this point, they were trespassers.
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 18, 2012 18:09:44 GMT -5
"The path continues," Mika reassured, pulling her bag outside of the tent. "It winds down into the canyons. There's more overhangs on the path, but it's narrow and some places have a drop-off. We'll have to watch our step, but we'll be in less danger from dragons. They'll have a hard time spotting us in the shadows between the cracks." She was rolling the tarp already, eyes constantly flicking to the sky. There were a few dark shadows in the distance, but none of them were close enough to really tell what they'd be looking at when they spotted the travelers. No threat yet.
"...hey, Shayla?" She looked up, leaning back from where she was bundling the tent. "The path splits soon. It's kind of my fault for not asking, but.. where exactly are we going?" She'd been avoiding asking. She was a little worried about it, but she'd agreed to take up the money, and honestly she was glad. Shayla was way over her head here. She needed the help.
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Post by Silver on Sept 18, 2012 20:51:26 GMT -5
Shayla sighed in relief as Mika assured her that they would soon be safely under cover. However, it was short lived with the following question. Uh oh, there was really no way of avoiding the issue now. She instinctively reached up and slowly adjusted her glasses, eyes darting towards Halcy instinctively. The feline merely looked up at her with an I told you so glare on his face. Great, that sure helped.
“W-well...” What could she say? There was no point in hiding it anymore. She had no idea where she was going, and unless Mika knew the specifics, she would never be able to find it. It was time for the moment of truth. “The hatcheries.”
Halcy winced at the bluntness of her response. She could have at least tried to sugar coat it. There was no way that anyone with dragon blood, like Mika, would allow a human near the hatcheries.
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 18, 2012 22:12:08 GMT -5
Mika froze when she heard the response, and Xan practically fell out of the air. He quickly flapped his wings again, lighting on Mika's shoulder and staring at Shayla. Was..... she insane..? That was... a terrible idea. She hadn't even been able to get into the hatcheries, and especially now, not even full-blooded dragons were allowed in and out at their fancy. They had to have a good reason for getting in there. A human and a Dryad, or even a human and a dragon halfkin... god damn.
She had not expected this when she took the job.
"I... w-well," Mika stumbled over the words herself, fingers together. "That's..." She sighed, going silent for a moment. She raised a hand, scratching the back of her head and glancing away. "...I can try, Shayla, but I give no guarantees. I haven't even been in there. It's a religious site, almost. Outsiders just... aren't allowed..."
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Post by Silver on Sept 19, 2012 1:44:28 GMT -5
Shayla was actually rather surprised that Mika was taking this so well. She had expected a resounding no and a refusal to take her any further. Either Mika wasn’t as fond of the dragons as Shayla had come to believe, or she really was desperate for the rest of her payment. Either way, she wasn’t going to question it, she was just thankful that she still had a guide. There was no way that she would be able to find the hatcheries on her own.
“...Thank you.” She responded quietly, looking down. She wasn’t sure what else to say. She just hoped that Mika knew she meant it.
Halcy flattened his ears as he listened intently to Mika’s words. He had known that it would be difficult to get in, but he didn’t realize the dragons guarded it adamantly even against their own kind. Of course, that was just further proof that there was definitely something going on in these mountains that was not normal.
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 19, 2012 2:11:33 GMT -5
Mika didn't respond at first. She turned around and took the few steps back to the rest of her tent, Xan still clinging to her shoulder.
"...you trust her enough for that?" Xan mewed gently, sounding not surprised, but merely curious.
"Not exactly," she murmured back, keeping her hands busy with the tent, though she could easily have it put back together by now. "Either she's a really good actress, or she's not interested in anything harmful. She just seems curious - and to be honest, I am too..."
"You think this is the best way to go about it?"
"It's not like we have anyone who can help us in... Lyco doesn't have permission to access, and, well..." She trailed off there. There was someone who did have access - but he was out of the question. He'd never help, even without Shayla. "She's going to go without me. If I don't help..." She didn't have to say anything else. Xan nodded, blinking his eyes reassuringly. Mika finished her tent and packed it away once more. She sighed, standing again, looking over her shoulder back at Shayla.
"...like I said. I don't know if we'll even get close to it. If we get caught nearby and turned away once, there won't be a second chance. If they catch you or me or both of us there again - we won't be leaving."
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Post by Silver on Sept 20, 2012 15:30:53 GMT -5
Shayla was rather elated that her guide wasn’t going to bail out on her after she broke the bad news. However, the look on Mika’s face made her think twice about being so excited. She looked almost like she was frightened, although it was hard to tell. The hushed whispers between her and her min sounded rather ominous, and she wondered briefly if she had gotten herself in way over her head. Mika's words confirmed her fears.
"... I understand."
Halcy meowed insistently and pawed at Shayla’s tent, signifying to her that it was time to pack it up. They really did need to get moving before another, probably less friendly, dragon saw them. She quickly complied, rolling the tent up as tightly as she could and strapping it to the bottom of her pack.
She turned back towards Mika, trying to find the right words to say. They both seemed to be ready at this point, and honestly they could probably just eat on the road. Every second they spent here the more likely it was that something was going to see them. She didn’t want to have another run in with a dragon, the last experience had been traumatizing enough.
“Ready to go?”
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 20, 2012 22:33:49 GMT -5
Mika nodded, and they set off again, sun rising at their backs. Together they twisted down into canyons, enjoying the downwards slope before it would begin to slope back up. Hours passed in relative silence, concentration on the sky. Dust kicked up under their feet, hot and red, and there were several points where the footing could have been better and both of them almost took a tumble.
The fork in the road came, and Mika hesitated there, for just a second. She knew that following straight would lead to the other side of the mountains, up to the north... and the left hand road would lead to the west, and into the heart of the mountains. The belly of fire. She took a deep breath, and Xan at her side, they pushed on. The slope was a little hilly at this point, up and down, but fairly flat. She wasn't sure exactly how long it would last - she didn't know this area quite as well, and it was more of a guessing game based on the geography of the mountains.
Eventually they came to a place where the cliffs closed in around the again - it left the path and several yards on either side, while the right hand sloped steeply up, and the left was a sheer drop from above. Honestly, Mika was just glad they weren't having to trace a path like the top of that cliff... and then they turned a sharp corner, and her stomach dropped.
Two figures stood on the path. One was unfamiliar - dark green hair paired with sharp emerald eyes, thick bronze horns curled around the ears and his clothes were a dark brown leather with bright green accents. The second, she recognized - he leaned against the wall, arms folded and looking distant. His usual cocky air was gone... that was unusual. Everything else about him was the same, though. His hair was still a bright, golden blonde, his clothes were still light leather, dashed with golden accents, and his eyes were still the same, deep blue.
He still hated her, and she still hated him back.
Mika stopped there at the edge of the turn, holding her arm out to stop Shayla. She watched the two for a few seconds, trying to judge. She knew that, asinine or not, as long as he was there, they wouldn't be outright attacked. There was still a high chance of harassment, and if the wrong insults flew... they'd just have to be quick. Not give them a chance to go after them, physically or verbally.
"We'll have to just go past them," she murmured to Shayla, not taking her eyes off the two ahead. "We'll be fine, they're not guarding anything - just resting after a hunt, probably. Act casual, don't let them get to you. Think you can do that?"
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Post by Silver on Sept 20, 2012 23:35:51 GMT -5
The rest of the journey was, unfortunately, not much easier today than it had been yesterday. There were several close calls along the route, and more than once it was a quick pull that kept her from tumbling over a narrow ledge and to her death. Halcy seemed to be having quite a difficult time as well. He couldn’t lay on her shoulders like he normally did, and she was worried he might fall. Even though it probably wouldn’t kill him, there was a good chance they would never find each other again.
The hot, red sun bearing down on them made the journey even more tedious. Occasionally Shayla had to stop to take a drink of her rapidly disappearing water. She hoped they found another source soon, because she doubted their remaining supply would last until the end of the day.
Shayla nearly gasped aloud as she saw the two figures, but was luckily a bit too shocked for any kind of vocalization. It took Mika’s whispers to ground her again. Go... past them? That sounded careless and dangerous. Shouldn’t they go back and go around them? No... Dragons had extremely sharp senses. They would probably hear them trying to leave, and that would make them even more suspicious.
“O-okay...”
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 21, 2012 0:36:29 GMT -5
She walked. Xan perched on her shoulder, sharp amber eyes watching the two dragons with the wariness of any feline. She shouldered her bag and tipped up her chin, looking confident but not cocky - she knew where she was going, but she also knew where she was. She veered to the left, ready to go around the dragons and give them as much leeway as she could.
Things didn't go as smoothly as she'd hoped.
"Hey hey now," crooned the green dragon, a devious grin appearing on his face at the sight of the two travelers. Mika gritted her teeth together, but tried to keep walking. She found her path quickly blocked. "What's a couple of exotic hens like you doing around here, eh?" He didn't sound particularly threatening, but he did have that 'better than you and I know it' air going on. Ugh. Prick. She could just tell already, not mention the company he kept...
"Just passing through," she replied, calmly and simply. He raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing. "We were just stopping to visit some friends before continuing on." The dragon snorted, still looking dubious.
"Oh yeah? Who?" Her mind raced - Lyco's new den was far behind them now, but his mothers still lived in the general area. She pulled their names best she could from her memory.
"Ryndrani and Kayshi, of the Aethyrin family," she said, hoping she didn't butcher them. He squinted at her, frowning, then snorted again.
"Puh, whatever," he grumbled, stepping aside. "Just get on with it, then run home to your flower patch, dirtkin." Really? They were resorting to playground insults now? She wanted to punch him, but she held back. She really. Really. Wanted to. But instead she just motioned for Shayla to come up beside her and follow close, and started moving around them. Flash's sharp blue eyes watched, but he didn't acknowledge her, or even give a nod her way. She honestly didn't expect as much.
"Go on, run back to your flower-toting pathetic excuse for a daddy." She heard the snickered insult behind her, and froze. Her eyes slit, and her teeth snapped together with a sharp snik. She reached up slowly, grabbing Xan from his place on her shoulder, where he'd already begun to puff out his fur.
"...Shayla," she asked, her voice oddly soft and almost sweet. "Will you be a dear and hold him for me...?" Oh, there was no escaping this now. He had crossed the line.
No one insulted her father.
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2012 1:23:20 GMT -5
Shayla watched the scene unfolding before her with abject horror. So this was the plan? Just walk on by? Well, obviously it hadn't exactly gone according to plan.
To be fair to Mika, it almost worked. If she hadn’t let the snide dragon’s comments get to her, maybe they would be walking out relatively unscathed. No, nothing could actually be easy. That would be outright preposterous.
...Flower toting? That didn’t exactly sound menacing. It definitely struck a chord with Mika though. In a flash her face went absolutely livid. Of course when Xan was thrust into her arms she knew something serious was about to happen. She couldn’t actually be considering fighting him, could she? That would be completely silly! A dryad stood no chance against a dragon. The only race that could match them in physical combat were the Wayrans, and that was only because of magic and trickery, not strength.
“Back up!” Halcy hissed into her ear, loud enough that Mika could probably hear. Oh well, she looked so angry that Shayla wasn’t really concerned about it. He did have a point though. If this turned into a full scale brawl, she did not want to be in the firing path. With Xan in her arms and Halcy on her shoulders she scampered towards the protection of the nearby trees.
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 21, 2012 1:56:38 GMT -5
Maybe Mika heard the silver feline, but honestly she wasn't paying attention. She dropped her bag, and as she turned around she untied her traveling cloak and let it fall as well. The green dragon looked smug with the response he'd garnered. He sneered at her, clearly expecting some kind of snapped insult back in his face. She caught a moment of confusion in his eyes as she dropped her things, not understanding.
She was pretty sure he got the message when her fist collided with his face.
She heard Xan yowl from his place in Shayla's arms, and knew he was probably flipping his shit right now, but he'd have to deal with it. She didn't even give a fuck anymore, this was personal and she was going to finish it. She glared over the green dragon as he scrambled to his feet, eyes staring right into the golden dragon's. He looked back with an expression that clearly stated, 'you are an idiot.'
"The fuck?!" The dragon yelped at her, holding a hand to his nose. His eyes glowed, and it was clear that he was quickly escalating in anger as well. "You little bitch!" He snarled, dropping his hand to reveal a little bit of blood, and Mika couldn't stop her grin. Heh. That was going to bruise for awhile... "If you want a beating, I'll give it to you!" There was a burst of fire around them, and it would have burned a normal Dryad - but Mika wasn't a normal Dryad, and for once in her life, she was damn proud of it. She brushed it away like nothing had happened, her grin widening at his confusion.
"What's the matter, greenie?" she hissed, grin still wide. "Can't set fire to a measly little blossom like me?" He snarled in response, and this time took a fiery swing at her, fire forming around his hand like a claw - she countered with one of her own, matching his blow and shoving him away again. He huffed, breath quickening, and Mika just kept grinning. A jet of flame, and she twisted, moving through the heat and out of the way. His eyes narrowed, and he hissed through his teeth back at her.
"I knew I smelled sulfur under those flowers of yours," he spat, and suddenly he wasn't playing around anymore. Quick as a snake he was on her, and with a crack her shoulder was slamming into the rock. She yelped, rolling over and dodging his next blow. She was on her feet again, but he was back on her, and this slash she couldn't avoid. The smell of burnt clothing hit the air, and Mika held her arm close to her. The wound wasn't deep, but it was enough to make her realize what she'd gotten into. She didn't have time to react again before he'd smashed her into rock again. For a few seconds she was dazed, but there was the pressure of a hand on her collarbone and a pair of wicked green eyes staring back into hers.
"Nice try." She saw her own grin reflected on his face, laced with both malice and glee. She had a split second of full consciousness to feel the air cut off in her throat, and to feel the terror well up in her mind, before he was suddenly yanked backwards, away from her. "Hey! What's the big-"
"Get the fuck off my sister." CRUNCH. The sound of a heavy impact again, and a howl of pain. She gasped for air, rolling over and feeling like she could vomit. She blearily looked up, able to see the green dragon take off running, before launching into the air with a jet of green fire. "Hey." She looked up, shock rolling into her as she realized just who had saved her from her mistake. "You okay?"
She shook her head, sitting up and burying her face in her knees. God... no. She was glad that Xan was the one with Shayla because she just... didn't want to face the girl right now. She wasn't ready for that.
She wasn't sure if she'd ever be ready for that.
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Post by Silver on Sept 21, 2012 2:40:05 GMT -5
Shayla wasn’t sure what to expect when Mika began to take bold strides towards the snickering green dragon. She was probably just as surprised as he was when the dryad’s fist collided with his face. Oh dear... That did not seem like a very good idea. She held her breath for a moment, hopeful that perhaps he would just fly away and forget about it, deciding that they just weren’t worth the trouble.
Her hopes were dashed when he cursed loudly at Mika and strong flames appeared to almost engulf the girl. Oh no! She immediately stepped forward, intent on rushing to Mika’s aid. The flames would cause severe burns to almost anyone, a dryad even more so! This was going way too far. She just had to do something or he would kill her.
Halcy hissed and sunk his claws into Shayla’s shoulders, causing her to stop and yelp in pain. The silver cat’s eyes flashed a quick warning. “Don’t interfere!”
Shayla was about ready to toss Halcy aside and rush forward anyways, but then she noticed that Mika was still standing. ...Not only was she still standing, she was actually smiling. H-how... How had that happened? Only the scales of a dragon could deflect flames like that.
the scuffle actually seemed to be going pretty well for Mika! Maybe she could get this guy to just leave them alone and- oh... oh no! She couldn’t help but wince as Mika was throw against a rock- and then thrown again. She thought she heard a sickening crack that last time but she hoped it was just her imagination.
What she wasn’t expecting was for the other, stationary dragon to involve himself so suddenly and viciously into the fight. Not only did he get involved, he got involved on Mika’s behalf. Wait, why would he- brother!
Wait... If he was her brother that meant that Mika must have been a dragon? No, that was impossible! She had to be a dryad! She had a min and flowers and everything. … Why did that other dragon call her his sister then?
Halcy rolled his eyes in impatience. He could practically hear the wheels in Shayla’s head turning out of control. Obviously she would need a little help. “Halfkin! You empty-headed-” He couldn’t really think of a suitable insult to end the phrase with so he left it at that, hoping halfkin would make her finally get it. If not, there was no hope for the girl.
Halfkin... Dragon halfkin? But- well... she supposed it was possible. Halfkin of any species were extremely rare though. Also, a dragon and a dryad? That was just as unlikely as a dragon and a wayran. In fact, halfkin with either race were extremely rare because of how much they hated everyone. It made no sense, but the facts were all there. The glove fit.
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 21, 2012 3:04:07 GMT -5
In Shayla's arms, Xan hung limp, ears dropping in the stress and grief that he felt from Mika. Her anxiety rang through him, and he once again felt that same, child-like desire to simple be liked that they had felt together so long ago...
"...don't be mad at her," he mewed quietly. His eyes were focused on his bonded, instead of the human girl to whom he was speaking. "She would have told you if she could. It's just... too hard for her. She... " He sighed, resting his head on his paws as he lay in her arms. "...did you ever just want to be liked, Shayla?"
A few yards away, Mika still sat in the same position. She didn't want to look up. She just wanted to bury her face here in her knees and hands and lap forever and just ignore what had happened. She had been stupid. She had been really, really stupid, and there was no excuse for her. Obviously, what she really had in her blood was going to come up, and obviously she wasn't a match for a full-blooded dragon. She didn't even know what she'd been thinking... her eyes were wet, and she didn't want to admit why.
She didn't get scared.
"At least show me your arm." She looked up at her brother who was crouching down next to her and tugging at the injured forearm. She resisted for a minute, trying to bury her misty eyes back in her lap so he didn't have to see because he didn't need more things to harass her with. He managed to tug it away from her anyway, frowning at the gashes in the leather guards. He unbuckled it, and she gave up resisting and settled for looking miserable. Once she actually saw her arm, she realized she had reason to be. Her scales, golden like the sun and matching her brother's next to her, were bloody and torn up, gashes ripping the roots up from the skin.
"You'll have to pull those," he suggested gently, but she forced her arm away from him again, cradling it close.
"What do you care?" Her voice was a whisper, soft and choked. "You just... you think I'm..." A mistake. That's what he'd called her before. A big, fat mistake and a giant problem to solve, that never should have happened. It didn't matter that he'd saved her now. She wasn't going to forget how bad those words had stung.
He looked away.
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