At The Cliff's Edge.....South of Yarrowitz C3 (2nd Board)

After long hours of flying through the desert, not paying much attention to the subtle arguing of the others, the heat and strain on his little paper wings started to take its toll. He had never flown so far in one go before. He started to droop and falter as they passed the mountain dunes, tired. Taking the initiative, he gently settled at the base of Sill’s tail, resting his wings for a moment. He didn’t know how he would take the action, so after a moment he took to the wing again, hoping his action was not too forward.

Looking into the distance, which wasn’t too far away now, Zack saw green trees dye the land a different colour, scrubbly bushes a welcome break from the long miles of blank, whispering sand. Now he could smell the thick smoke from burning, not just from trees, with their rich, heady scent, but also a bitterer, coarse scent of other things burning.

“This is not just the regular forest fire.” He sniffed again, the thick scents drifting on the wind towards them, the smell sparking a little fear into his heart. “This is something much bigger.” He flitted behind Siofra, peering over her shoulder at the thick smoke in front of them, and not noticing Sill’s final words…

Finally spotting the group he slows down to an easy walk. On the horizon he could see the forest and the plumes of smoke. This is not good. We should tread carefully for here on out. He looks back at the group as he pauses to look down at them from the top of a dune. He had to hand it to the runner who was with them. He knew his territory well and he would have to thank him for it later. Glancing up at the smoke, much later it would seem.

It was somewhat difficult to track them through the sand but being as old as he was he had learned many tricks throughout the years. With a long exhalation he walks down the dune to the waiting group.

Giving them time to rest he knew he was a little bit away from them. He knew that if Zack flew the whole way he would be tired by now and would appreciate the rest. Unless someone had took pity on him and let him ride with them. But with the group still strangest to each other he would not suspect that anyone would.

As time slipped away like the sand below him the sun rising above the horizon. Pyre closes the distance to the group as he crests the next dune he looks down at them. “Hello all. Figured I go for a run and see that you made it though the sands. But it would seem our runner friend here knows his way very well.” He inclines his head in thanks.

It was a first for Siofra to encounter a dragon with such an obvious skill for switching between a disgruntled and an amused look depending on who it was looking at. Sill definitely knew how to do this and Siofra wasn’t sure whether she should count this as a good or a bad attribute. He certainly did not bother to hide when he didn’t like something, and that was indeed something she appreciated, as it came rather close to honesty, though if there was something she disliked, it was being mocked. So, as the shade runner was grinning at her to let her know he would quite enjoy seeing her in a predicament such as being swallowed by lightning sand, she was grinning back, imagining an arrow piercing his forehead, a nice and clean shot, straight between his eyes.

Shetan was rather happy about the increase in pace and contentedly trotted alongside the shade runner, almost eager to nudge the dragon for a full-out run, but Siofra held him back. She had meant it when she had already warned Zack not to power himself out by fluttering around like that, but the paper dragon hadn’t taken it all too seriously. Quietly, the half-elf followed Sill has he wound his way through the seemingly endless desert. It concerned her a little that it would take much more time than she’d thought, but no matter how much his mockery annoyed her, she trusted in his judgement of the dangers that surrounded him, seeing that he was much more accustomed to the desert than anyone else of the group.

It was a relief when they finally reached the edge of the sand pool and Siofra could distinguish trees and the outlines of what seemed to be Quinsilla in the farther distance. The fire was still burning brightly and the stench was somewhat odd. “You’re right Zack, this is something much bigger,” she agreed, absentmindedly patting Shetan’s neck, the stallion dancing underneath her, clearly displeased by the smell that was filling his nostrils. “This smells like burnt flesh.” And with that realisation, she knew that this was indeed something even bigger than she had imagined. Maybe this was going to be the end of her quest, though certainly not the end of the adventure, that was only just starting..

Abruptly, she turned Shetan around as Sill scanned the horizon behind them and grumbled as she noted his words. “Who would be so nuts as to follow someone through a desert?” Looking towards Sill, she wondered if he was a good fighter if it came to an attack or if she was the only one that would be up for defending them. Zack, she was sure, was too tired by now to do any serious damage, so she gave him a small smile, remembering his attempt to nestle in the shade runner’s tail, and suggested: “Feel free to rest on Shetan if you want, he won’t mind. Plus, it might take you out of the line of fire, if you’re not immediately seen.” With those words, she took the bow from her back and pulled an arrow out of the quiver, immediately knocking it in place, taking aim. Yet, as the creature came closer, recognition spread over her face. Wasn’t this the lava dragon that had supposedly stayed behind to guard over his little community? “Pyre?!”

Sill relaxed a bit when he heard the biped woman exclaim the strange dragon's name, and the friendly tone that the fiery dragon used when speaking. He inclined his head back at the lava dragon, grinning. A small part of him wanted to know how this newcomer had managed to navigate the desert by himself and come out unscathed, but then again, he could have just followed their tracks. Deciding that to be the most likely course, he put the matter to rest, settling into a sitting position and wrapping his tails around his paws, watching the reunion through slit eyes. "What strange companions you have." He muttered, just loud enough to be heard if one was listening. He looked over his shoulder then, measuring the distance between themselves and the cliff that marked the edge of the desert, and wondered how the biped planned on overcoming that particular obstetrical. The paper dragon could fly it easily if he were back up to full power, but that mount of hers wouldn't fare so well. Even he hadn't ever tried to climb the perilous cliffs.

"I suppose that we could go around... though the fire would be out by then..." Sill mumbled aloud, whiskers twitching as he thought over the puzzle. Whats more, did he even want to continue on with this group? As a creature build for speed, he had always relied on his quick feet and quicker wit to get him out of danger, hardly ever resorting to fighting if he didn't have to. But going on to see what the source of the fire was... well, deep in his bones he felt that it was going to be an adventure that promptly would land him in hot water.

Before he could decide what to do, a noise caught his ear that had him on full alert, rising from his sitting position to stand, every muscle tensed to flee with his ears cocked full forward and eyes riveted on the horizon. The noise came again, a dull thump that was reminiscent of distant thunder. A third, and a fourth followed, and then he could see something in the sky on the horizon. It took him a while to realize what the approaching figure was, and he retreated a few steps when he could make out the figure clearly, falling back to stand amongst Pyre and Siofra. "Big dragon." He said to the others, his tails flicking once before remaining as still as the rest of his body.
And it was a very large dragon indeed. The creature approached them, spraying up sand high into the air as its wings created huge eddies closer to the ground. It landed with a thud dulled by the shifting sands beneath it's huge claws, the groaning of leather and muscles emitting from the creature as it furled its huge wings. The carrier dragon was nondescript in its coloration for the most part, a drab brown flecked with gray along its spine, it's only remarkable trait aside from its sheer size being a nearly neon streak of yellow on its side that originated on its snout and traveled all the way to its tail. Even as it stood there, the neon band dulled in color briefly, nearly blending in with the dull brown before slowly flaring to life again. "Are you travelers seeking passage out of the desert?" The dragon asked, its huge voice booming across the desert landscape.

The little paper dragon was pleased when Siofra agreed that that which was burning was more than just the normal woodland forest fire, smiling a little. He still beat the air with his wings, hovering slowly, but he could feel weariness creeping along his joints, unused to flying such a long, long way. It was nearly dawn, and they had been travelling for nearly half the night! When Siofra offered a place to rest on Shetan, he took it gratefully, gripping the top of the horse’s tail with his paws so he did not fall, and spreading his tired wings out to each side like a resting butterfly, the thin paper membranes shifting with the strong movements of the horse underneath him. They felt heavy and fragile, quite unlike the light, mobile wings that he had had that morning…

Zack spotted Pyre at the same time as Siofra, his eyes lightning up with recognition and a smile leaping to his lips. He gave a friendly squeak and a wave, pleased to see his pal, but not really wondering how or why he had appeared at the other side of the desert. It was Pyre, and Pyre (being Pyre) could do anything!

As Sill muttered softly to himself, Zack began to wonder what he seemed so agitated about. He kept his peace for a moment, then spurred on by the dragon’s strange twitching whiskers (which were rather hypnotising to watch) he asked what the dragon was muttering about. What was this thing they would have to go around? There was nothing standing between then and the source of the fire! But then the bigger dragon stood up again, tense, which put Zack on his guard, tired as he was. He flared his wings, ready to take off at a moment’s notice if need be.
“What is it?”
He looked all around, and couldn’t see anything, neither skyward nor ground-bound. But then came a sound like thunder, then again, again. As Sill announced what it was, he tried to look for where it could be seen, growing larger as it came close.

And when Sill had said “big dragon”, he really had meant it. Zack had thought the shade runner was big, but this…This was huge! He crouched low on Shetan’s back, folding his wings in tight to his sides, the currents of air trying to pull them, and him, into the sky like a leaf in a storm. It was so loud and big! Daunting as the dragon was, it was also very, very exciting.
“Pyre, he’s even bigger than you!” Zack squeaked, lifting his head from where he had been curled. He looked up at the big dragon’s face- it couldn’t want to harm them if it was asking if they needed passage- and answered directly.
“We’re going to see what all that smoke and fire is about!” He squeaked at the top of his voice, trying to project. Who knew if the big dragon could hear him from such a long way up?
“Can you take us there?”
The big dragon gave a nod as he spied the small dragon, then looked out towards where the smoke still billowed.
“I can take you across the great desert rift.”

"Yes it would seem he is Zack." Pyre inclines his head a the Carrier Dragon. He looks to the others before he answers the other dragon. "It would seem we do friend would you be able to help them down the cliff?" Pyre had heard of these are dragons. It had been a long time since he had seen one. Last time he was up on his volcano and would see them fly by from time to time.

Looking to the cliffs edge Pyre guaged that he could get down the face with no problems. He had enough practice since part of th volcano was a shear drop on the one side. He looks at the group and hopes the larger dragon will oblige a ride for the others. "What would you like in payment if you are able to get them down below?" Pyre sits down wrapping his tail around his feet to show he is no threat to the carrier. Pyre was pretty sure he could take the huge dragon if he must but he didn't want to try it.

The half-elf was about to put away the arrow she was still holding in the bow when something close to thunder was audible, though there were no clouds in sight indicating an upcoming storm. The shade runner’s reaction was enough for her to be certain that this was not some kind of desert noise she was simply not accustomed to. Her arms tensed again and she kept the arrow where it was, preferring to be ready for anything that would be coming for them.

Once Siofra realised it was a dragon coming towards them, she removed the arrow from the string and put everything back into place. The creature in front of them was gigantic but obviously did not intent any harm. Everything about him seemed heavy and dull, even the voice sounded a little bored to her ears when the dragon suddenly spoke. However, she cringed at Zack’s very wiling and open response. It was nice, indeed, but she preferred not everybody knowing where they were headed. On the other hand, she suddenly realised, it might be more non conspicuous if they were freely telling people of their intentions.

Deciding to go along with the general sentiment of the group, she inclined her head towards the carrier dragon in a friendly gesture. “We appreciate the gesture,” she said in a gentle voice, “if you could us across the cliff that would speed up our travels by a great deal.” However, she was unsure of how they were ever going to get the horse over the cliff. Shetan would obviously not be able to hold on to the dragon, so she voiced her concern out loud, open to suggestions: “How are we going to handle transport of the horse though?”

Even this did not seem to cause the carrier dragon to change attitude, its deep voice remaining unfazed just like his whole posture: “I can carry him in my paws. I have carried many a horse that way.” He shot Siofra a glance that was probably intended to be reassuring, but she was uncertain. Yet, there was no other way. Curiously, she looked over at Sill, wondering what he was thinking about the whole situation. Though, there seemed to be no other choice, the shade runner was right, walking around would take too much time and the smoke was already beginning to dim a little. So with a small sigh, she dismounted and with a reassuring caress lead Shetan, who had visibly tensed, towards the transporter dragon.

"The fare is paid once you reach the other side." The big dragon droned, turning a huge eye on Pyre. It was hard to tell if the massive creature was sad, bored, or a combination of the two. "Please board." It stretched out a wing, revealing a large flat-topped saddle-like contraption on its back, strapped on with huge thick leather straps and a few chains, just for good measure. The flat back could hold twenty people if they got friendly with their neighbors. Even carrying a dragon of Sill-Vitas' size wouldn't have been a space issue.

For a long moment, the shade runner was caught by indecision... to go, and leave the relative safety that was the desert, or stay here and wait to find out what had become of everyone, however long that would take? He watched in a detached way as the small biped woman tied a cloth about her steed's eyes and lead the creature to the huge carrier dragon, the horse's steps tense. It let out a shrill cry when the dragon gripped it in its claws, but as far as Sill could see, the creature was not actually hurt. With nimble steps, the biped climbed up the unsteady surface of the dragon's outstretched wing and stood on the flat top of the saddle, her face hidden by the deep cowl of her cloak.

Sighing, Sill trotted forward, gathered himself, and took a single leap up onto the dragon's high back, settling himself down with a disgusted look on his face. He would probably hate himself later for doing this, but it seemed the only way that he was going to keep up on things. He knew that something big was happening in Dragon's Cove, and couldn't bear the thought of being the last to learn the news. As for payment, he would simply dash for it once the dragon landed. That wasn't even an issue for the shade runner, who took little note of currency and material payment, seeing it as a rather biped thing to do and not at all something a dragon should have to get involved in. Stretching slightly, he looked down to the ground, where Pyre still stood. "What, you're going to climb the cliffs then?" He called, hardly believing that the fiery dragon would be so foolhardy.

In excitement at the prospect of actually getting to ride the big dragon (as he obviously wasn’t going to be fast enough to fly alongside, and anyway, he was still feeling rather worn out), Zack took to the air again, fluttering up near to the dragon’s head to get a closer view. Now he was next to the big dragon, he looked even bigger than he first had!

As the others discussed Shetan’s prospects of transport, Zack fluttered up to the dragon’s back, where a large saddle rested between his wings, obviously made for transporting humans, or in this case, dragons too. It had handy bars in front of the seats to hang on to, if you didn’t like the ride. Zack immediately attached himself to one, wrapping his long tail around the bar a few times and hanging onto the worn leather with his little paws. He looked around eagerly, wanting to be off, now that the next leg of their journey was about to take place. They would be at the source of the flames in no time at all! And from up here, there would be a perfect view of what was causing it, without being burnt to a cinder before they got a good look. Maybe the dragon would circle it before he landed, then they could see everything that was going on?

As Zack was quickly joined by the others in the saddle of the dragon, he called reassuringly to Pyre.
“Come on, it’s really cool up here, and we’ll get there much quicker! Maybe this dragon will circle around so we can see what’s going on down there?” He gave a grin, but Pyre probably couldn’t see it.
The big carrier dragon looked around at his passengers, counting how many he was carrying. A slight frown creased his features as he saw they were still waiting for the last one to board.
“Quickly now, there may be passengers waiting at the other end, I haven’t got all day!” The sun was starting to really rise now, thick streaks of orange lighting the sky as it peeked over the far horizon. The day was nearly upon them, soon the towns would be bustling with traffic and travellers.

Waiting no longer, the dragon flapped his wings twice, looking into the sky, before taking off with huge, heavy wing beats. He climbed into the sky, catching the last warm currents from the sun-baked sand from the day before, and heaved off towards the smoking pillars. Zack peered eagerly over the side, hanging on tightly to the handle. It was rather windy up here, and so fast! They would be at the source of the fire in no time at all.

Pyre looks up at Sill and nods. "Yes i'll go down the cliff. It much like the ones that I have found on my volcano." That and Pyre had no desire to fly. He wasn't born with wings so there for he should not be in the air. With a grumble Pyre walks up the extened wing and settles on the worn leather. His body heat begining to heat up the leather warping it. Slowly the tan color began to take on a burnt color. "We should hurry before I burn through the leather.

Pyre dug his claws into the leather as he flet the Carrier dragon move under him. Trying to move witht he dragon as he walked Pyre kept upright as he looks over the dragons shoulder at the cliffs drop off. Nervious him no, he was scared out of his mind but tried his best not to show it to the others who where around him.

Gritting his teeth he felt the dragon shift his weight in getting ready to take off. Pyre cursed mentally in every language he knew and some he made up.

Siofra almost started to grin at the transporter dragon’s unfazed behaviour but she immediately grew serious again when Shetan began shrieking. She knew he would be alright, but it still made her heart ache to hear sounds like these. As for the fare.. well, they had to find a way around it. Somehow. It was odd in her opinion anyway but she didn’t question this further. They would have time enough to haggle once they were safely on the other side of this cliff.

In turn, she observed the three dragons as they made their way more or less hesitantly onto the huge dragon’s broad back. As far as Sill’Vitas was concerned, the half-elf had her doubts about how long he would remain with them, his hesitation had grown more and more over the last few hours and she was not foolish enough to believe that he would be reliable any longer. She was grateful for the help he had provided but knew that this was probably the end of it. As for Zack, Pyre would take care of him, no matter what was going to happen, so she needn’t and really shouldn’t worry about the little paper dragon. Everything would be alright for him. His curiosity might get the better of him some day and cause him serious trouble but as long as the big volcano dragon was around, Siofra was sure that was not going to happen any time soon. It would be a shame for the little one. A vivid and easy-going spirit like his was beginning to be rare.

As her eyes swept over the scenery below her, she couldn’t help but wonder what fate had in store for each one of them. The devastation they could distinguish in the distance confirmed the rumours she had heard. Quinsilla was in ruins, burning down to the ground, barely leaving anything but a few piles of stones and ashes – and oddly, the renowned Surselea - behind. With the ability to see details as they came closer, came also the ability to smell and it told stories of horrors they luckily could not see from this high up on the transporter dragon’s back. So it had really begun. War was upon them, whether the inhabitants of Dragon’s Cove had wanted it or not.

Even though Siofra had never mentioned to the rest of the group that she had actually had an idea of what might be going on, she knew that no matter how hard anyone wanted to believe that nothing was going to happen to them, the invasion had already taken place and there was no turning back now. Many had already died, and many were yet to share that fate. Maybe, they would all see each other again in the distant future, but for now, there were only a few things for certain. The battle had come to Dragon’s Cove and the companions as they were now were not going to remain together. They each would go their own way and would do what they had to do. Some might take action, maybe even become great heroes; some might hide away and hope that it would all disappear in time. Others would turn into villains, and spies, but every single one of them would play their role in this bigger plot that destiny had in store for them.

As of yet, Siofra was unsure which part in all of this she was going to play but she knew that she had to seek out whoever it was that had so boldly come here. Whatever might ensue from these occurrences would certainly be devastating and the outcome, whether for the good or the bad, was impossible to foresee. Maybe this would be the end of Dragon’s Cove as they all knew it? But who was she to imagine she could assume anything of what would come to pass.

» (C3, Yarrowitz) A Greeting from the Guardians ~ The People of Yarrowitz (16th Board)
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