Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Sun Nov 28, 2010 5:17 pm

The old man was staring at some invisible thing in the distance, as old people did, but was brought back to reality by Cleto's wods of greeting. He sat and listened politely, hands folded over his lap, then took a large breath and began his reply. "Well met, Brother Cleto." He said, in a gravelly, strong voice that belied his age. "I am Horus, and you have not been mislead by our old friend." He slowly looked at Frost and nodded to him once, and Frost quicky looked up from the girl, nodded, then returned his attention to her, as the two appeared to be having a rather drawn-out conversation. ""He has indeed been telling us of such things, but not out of any ill will: our village has often seen the large, looming shadows of what could only be a dragon in flight for many years now, and in our own fear we asked Brother Frost for help. But he is a migratory dragon, as you might know, and it would be wrong of us to ask him to stay by our side. But, thankfully, he divulged these secrets to us, in hopes that we may somehow protect ourselves. But rest assured: we have no intention to abuse this knowledge, nor to give it to those who would abuse it."

"As for why I have taken these children under my wing, it is as you have already stated: These children are orphans, children of various wandering tribes who could not or would not look after them, and brought them here to my care. And the gain is two way: These children learn how to take care of themselves and others, and I get protection and care in my old age. Isn't that ideal?" He then turned to Abraxas and smiled warmly. "No, sadly, I am not a large jolly man in a red suit. But the children seem to believe that he lives not far off, and that his red-nosed reineer wanders this area." He laughed slightly, and Frost's head shook slightly at this: He knew it was around here somewhere.

((Short post, but there it is.))

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Wed Dec 01, 2010 4:19 pm

Cleto turned a curious gaze on Abraxas when she asked the old man if he was this "Santa" character. He had never heard of such a person, and had to wonder what sort of famous magician he had to be if he were easily mistaken for old men that resided in the wilderness. Then again, perhaps the horse dragon knew more about the situation than she was letting on? All of his musings were quickly put to reduced to ashes when the old man finally spoke, decreeing that he was no in fact Santa, but Horus, and had no intention of using the knowledge for ill-will. He didn't believe the old man, of course, but he wasn't about to tell him that. Reiterating what had already been said was akin to chasing your tail in circles and there was no need to anger what had to be a very powerful sorcerer. "You will forgive my misconceptions, then." He said instead with a small nod of his head, still watching the old man carefully for signs of an attack. "You may be able to understand how I saw this as a threat. With the rise of slayers... we are not safe. And having an entire village trained to kill those of the dragonkin sounds unpleasing to say the least."

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:44 am

The horse dragon shifted from leg to leg during the conversation, feeling a little uneasy. On the one hand, she was quite pleased with the fact that the man did not deny anything, but on the other hand, she still did not quite trust his words. Children – if those humans out there were indeed all children – did not have to defend themselves if they were already protected by such a powerful magical barrier. Plus, there was no need in giving them too many details on a specific creature and Abraxas was sure that there were more dangerous beasts out here than a few dragons. Defense was defense, the basics of it did not change no matter what kind of situation they were applied to.

At the mention of the red-nosed reindeer, Abraxas couldn’t help but grin. She looked at Frost, wondering whether he thought the same thing since they had been wandering the snow to find exactly that specific reindeer. Indeed, the winter dragon was shaking its head at the man’s words. However, they had yet to find it, and now the man probably had even added a challenge to this. Santa himself.

Abraxas turned her gaze to Cleto, for a moment wishing she had the gift of telepathy. The frost dragon was in no way happy, that much she could tell and she was fairly certain that the man’s words had only been just that: words. How can you protect someone when apparently you yourself are in need of protection? And wouldn’t it be the exact same thing someone who would use the information for evil deeds would say in just as reassuring a manner? Cleto did say something similar to this between the lines of his next statement but she was fairly certain the man would not comment on it.

“If you don’t mind me interrupting,” the horse dragon suddenly spoke up, hoping that she would not step on Cleto’s toes or ruin his plan by voicing what was on her mind. “Why are there so many children in this village? I can hardly imagine that there are so many parents willing to give up their young ones or that every single parent has died a tragic death leaving behind one or two, or more, orphans.” She looked at the girl from the corner of her eye, wondering whether she understood what was being said or whether she was going to react to this at all, seeing that she was still occupied with Frost.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:20 pm

Little did the others know, Frost was doing some interrogating of his own, and on a source that could not, and would not, lie. But if Frost knew just how important this conversation would be, he didn't know... or at least, he didn't let it on that he knew.
What is you name, young one? Frost asked her, in the simple language of her people.
Inuin.She replied in a hushed tone, either too used to speaking silently or too scared to speak louder.
Inwin? Frost said, tilting his head and shaking his head. Interesting. So tell me, Inwin, why are you here?
I... I was seperated from my parents.
Seperated? And did Horus find you and save you?
No.

Horus grinned at Cleto, nodding. "They are forgiven, Brother, as you had every right to be curious. But once agan, let me reassure you: We have not, nor will we ever, divulge your secrets to undesireables, nor will we utilize them against your kin, except for the few that dare trouble our Utopia." And this, despite what the dragons might think, was actually the truth: Horus respected dragons too much.

Horus turned somewhat sharply to Abraxas, then slowed and smiled. "Sister, there are many more tribes than you think there are, in all respect. And, as you may know youself, it is not easy for us to find and catch food. At least, it is much harder for us, as we are much smaller and lack your natural hunting abilities and techniques." Horus kept watching Abraxas, but if you could see his eyes you could tell he was watching Frost and the child. But why would he do that, Frost was just entertaining a shy girl.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Sat Jan 15, 2011 3:55 am

And there was the catch, wasn't there? He would make any suffer that dared to trouble his "utopia", and wasn't that exactly what he was doing? Questioning the man about his doings and his intentions… it was probably bordering on his tolerance for misbehavior and free will. He listened to Horus correct Abraxas and wondered just how many tribes of these fur-wearing humans there were out in the icy wastes that he could have been referring to. There were only a handful of traveling bands that followed the caribou that he had ever noticed and permanent villages were few and far between, sticking to the banks of rivers and lakes or huddled near the shelter of the evergreen forests where food was easier to come by. During the explanation, Cleto was studying the old man's face, saw the flick of his eyes toward Frost and the child. Once, Cleto followed his gaze and looked at the two huddled together, whispering to one another quietly and briefly wondered what they were talking about.

"I thank you then for your hospitality and reassurances." Cleto finally said after a small pause in the conversation. It was probably time to get out and he was most curious as to find out what it was that Frost was talking about, though he had little doubt that it was something completely meaningless that he would later regret inquiring after.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:12 pm

Utopia? Abraxas hoped the man was kidding about this. It seemed highly unlikely to her that the children, or at least no all of them, shared such an opinion with him. Even though they might be happy at first when coming here, they noticed sooner or later that it was a prison rather than paradise. Utopia… what nonsense, the horse dragon grumbled inwardly, growing more uncomfortable by the second now. Her eyes kept glancing back and forth between the man and Frost and the girl.

Still, his answers were not quite to her satisfaction. Even if there were so many tribes that had trouble feeding their children, how was this going to be any different if masses of children were stuck together in the same place? It was not going to change the fact that hunting for food was still as hard as before. The horse dragon did not voice these concerns however, not wanting to get into trouble as this seemed to be somewhat of a tricky slope they were on. If the man was earnest, he would not divulge their secrets and not get them into trouble, but if he was not, then they would bring upon themselves their certain doom by offending him. His face did not express any anger but neither did he look at her properly, so how was she supposed to know how genuine he really was? His sharp reaction might have suggested that the query might have been an offense but his tone did not betray such an emotion.

Only gladly did Abraxas nod along to Cleto’s thanks for the hospitaly, happy that they were getting out of here again. She was growing more uncomfortable by the second now and her fur was slowly starting to raise up because of this and even being close to someone like Cleto who could definitely protect her if she were in such need was not very reassuring anymore. Definitely time to go. Following the various glances towards Frost and the girl, she herself wondered what this was all about but she was less noticeable about it then Horus, whose eyes were now almost frantically darting back and forth between the two groups – the frost and horse dragon on one side, the winter dragon and the girl on the other. Without waiting for an actual response from the man, Abraxas began to make her way to the door, while nodding her head at Horus to show her thanks as well, even though she did not really know what they should be thanking him for. “Frost?” she gently called out, almost nudging him, so he would notice they were going to leave and would not stay behind unknowingly.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:58 am

What!? Frost murmered, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible. Then what happened?
He... he... Inuin could hardly even talk, her voice was so weak from the truth that she had to go up to Frost's ear and whisper it to him shakily. What she said shocked Frost out of his mind, all he could do was stare at the young girl with wide eyes. How could he do that!?

Horus loked at Cleto and raised a hand in farewell, smiling a smile that could warm your heart even here in the frozen tundra. "Farewell." He said, not looking away from them until the moment that they left.

"Whu'?" Frost shook his head clear and stare at Abraxas, head tilted, then stood up and lifted the girl with his mouth then set her on his back, walking somewhat hurridly to the door. He turned to look at Horus over his shoulder, gave him a quick smile and a flick of the tail as a farewell, then wormed his way out of the door, standing once again in the comfortable cold of the snowy village. He stood there, lips pursed in concentration, only moving so that Abraxas and Cleto could get out. What did this mean?

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:45 pm

Once back out in the cold Cleto stretched his wings and shook himself, glad to be out in the open again. He felt less exposed out here, especially now that the magic man wasn't peering at them so intensely. He walked a little bit from the front of the small house, looking over his shoulder at it to see if it had turned into a castle while they were inside. To his disappointment, it still looked like the same little unassuming hut, however, and he shook his head, gaze drifting down to Frost. "You seem to be in deep concentration." The big dragon mumbled in his deep voice, studying the dragon closely. The little girl on his back was still as wide-eyed as ever, clinging to Frost just like before. "What have you been talking about?" He asked in a slightly lowered voice, moving farther away from the hut just in case the wizard could somehow hear them even when they moved outside.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:39 am

The horse dragon grinned at Frost’s confused look when she called out to him, having expected nothing else in truth, but was glad he didn’t insist on staying in Horus’ presence any longer. As quickly as possible, she wiggled her way through the door after the other two dragons, relieved to be out of sight of this weird man. Or were they? Could he still see them? Somehow? A shudder ran down her back at this thought, and Abraxas shook herself to get rid of this awful feeling. Following Cleto’s gaze at his words, she took looked at the winter dragon, wondering why he looked so deeply in concentration. She too moved away from the hut quickly as the frost dragon did so, only too glad to get away from it, and the same question swirling around in her head. She wanted to know what had been said, especially as it seemed to be something that had rather fiercely caught Frost’s attention.

The persisting somewhat shocked look on the girl’s face didn’t strike her as something human children usually did, so on a whim, she suddenly lengthened her neck and put her muzzle closer to the girl, eyeing her closely. “Has he been frightening or hurting you?” she asked softly, surprised at herself for even considering talking to the girl, she was a human after all, but she wanted to know what the hell was going on in this village and what this Horus creature was up to, though she was already counting on the girl jumping off of Frost’s back and running away screaming at this question. She would quickly be lost amidst the mass of children that was still out on the streets and crowding around this inconspicuous but very weird hut, even though the dragons seemed to not be the centre of attention anymore, at least for most of them.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Mon Feb 21, 2011 2:23 pm

Could Frost really tell them what he had learned? Wha would the consequences be? Well, for one, you'll be admiting that you're wrong. Said a voice in his head. And if he admitted that he was wrong... then Cleto would be right! But wasn't making sure that the children were safe worth being wrong? Swallowing his pride (and a bit of saliva), Frost turned to Cleto and sighed. "As it turns out, you were right. Something is up." He looked up to the girl on his back. "Somehow he had stolen all of these children from their homes, for what I don't know." He noticed that already Inuin was reverting back into her adult form and frowned. Was it really an illusion?

Inuin leaned back and away from Abraxas, eyeing her nervously then letting her eyes flick down to the top of Frost's head. What had the dragon said!? She tapped Frost's head nervoussly and mubled something, to which Frost answered with a murmer in the same language. Her eyes trailed to the hut the group had just left, and she sat there for at least a minute, apearantly weighing her options. Finally, her mind made up she turned to Abraxas and spoke, Frost translating for her. "A strange magic is in the chief's home, it stores youth and makes humns young. But once you leave, it takes some of your youth away. Chief may live as long as he stays within his home." Frost's eyes widened: Just how old was Horus again!?

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:30 am

He watched the exchange between Abraxas and the little girl with about as much surprise as the horse dragon had felt upon performing the action. He hadn't thought of the smaller dragon as especially being the gentle type, though when confronted with small children such as Inuin, it was hard not to feel something for the little girl. Cleto met Frost's gaze steadily, appraising the confession that not all was right with a stoic gaze. It was not a fact that would be particularly something to gloat over given that he had been right all along, and he was not much for gloating anyway. "Let us go find somewhere to talk, then." He said to the smaller dragons and little girl, though he knew that the human couldn't understand him. "Who knows how far the magician's range of sight or hearing extend outside of his fortress?" Cleto's deep bass voice rumbled in his chest, the words low and quiet just in case his suspicions on that subject were correct as well. He scanned the village briefly, only just remembering then that Abraxas didn't much like the cold and moved to her side, stretching his wing over the smaller dragon and part of Frost to block out the chilly wind. "Perhaps we can go somewhere warm, as well? Frost, or perhaps the child… one of you can lead us somewhere safer to speak. If the man truly wishes to live for forever, as I think is the case, then it is best for us to plan something quickly."

Cleto was an old dragon. He had seen too many seasons come and go for him to properly count, but he could still remember what it was like to be young and sprightly; to fly through the chilly skies of the ice plains and know nothing of being tired, when the world was something new to be explored. His gaze was drawn down to the child, and he pitied her. Pitied all of the children in this village. To have that time of youthful exuberance stolen… it had to be stopped. He wondered briefly what would happen if he were to simply crush the outside appearance of the wooden house, but assumed that it had protection against such an attack, or else there would be severe consequences against such an obvious action. Hopefully, Frost or else the child would know how to either lure the old man out of his house, or else destroy it from the outside.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:48 pm

Abraxas absentmindedly listened to what Frost explained to Cleto but kept her focus on the little girl on the winter dragon’s back, who, even though she had recoiled at first was now finally talking to the horse dragon in what the latter could only describe as gibberish, and it came out like a waterfall too. Good thing that Frost understood the language and could translate for Cleto and herself. “Thank you Frost," she quickly acknowledged the winter dragon's words with a smile, before she agreed with a grumble: "Yes, let’s move away from here,” again looking to Frost for guidance around this place. She didn’t want to remain in Horus’ proximity for much longer. Watching Inuit however, the horse dragon cocked her head a little to the side. The thing she simply could not understand was the seeming constant switch between adult and child form which sometimes was more visible than at others, it confused her.

“Just within his hut?” Abraxas frowned at this, her eyes swaying over the rest of the village again, taking in the masses of children and frowned even more. Something about what the girl had said was not right, or her interpretation of it. Or maybe she quite simply hadn’t grasped it all herself, the horse dragon couldn’t know. The only thing she was very certain of was that her fur was standing on edge again and a very uneasy feeling was creeping through her bones. The chill making her shudder did not only result from the icy cold outside but she nevertheless gave Cleto a grateful look as the larger dragon protectively spread his wing over her to keep her warm.

As they began moving away from the hut, Frost knowing best where to go in this place, Abraxas’ gaze fell on the sphere around the village once more. This so-called protective sphere. Another frown passed over her face as she considered Inuit’s words, everything else they had learned and then this sphere, which to her more and more seemed to be the source of all the happenings, instead of a protection. Nudging Cleto, but not wanting to say anything more until they were safely – or as safe as they could get – out of earshot of Horus, she stared at the sphere with a thoughtful expression on her face before turning back to the frost dragon, hoping he would get her drift, though she would bring it up anyways as soon as they could talk.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:55 pm

A quiet place where they could all fit... "Oh, I know!" Frost spun around and faced the chief's hut, then stopped: Oh yeah, not there. He turned once again and wandered foreward, lips pursed in thought. Was there anywhere else three dragons would even fit? Clearly not remembering, the winter dragon discretely turned to Inuin and muttered from the side of his mouth to her. "Uhm... anywhere we ccould all go?" He asked, risking a quick glace at Abraxas and Cleto. The girl, in return, thought for a moment, then smiled and whispered into the dragon's ear. Frost, obviously pleased with what she said, smiled and put most of his attention to finding the building the girl had suggested.

Within a mibnute or so, they were there: a hut of similar size to the chief's home, but completely different in style: all over the structure there were designs and illustrations of various animals, from reigndeer to icy white dragons, all of them in a strange but captivating style. Humourously, next to the opening there was a design that was obviously Frost scrawling in the snow, his tail rubbing against his hind leg in thought. Frost took a moment to wonder who that sexy beast was, then squirmed his way through the opening and found himself comfortably warm in the story hall. It was clearly magicked to it's size, as it was as spacious as the chief's home. About two-thirds of the room was covered in little placemats, obviously seats for the audience. In the back, there was the 'stage', which was nothing more than an array of animal pelts where actors and storytellers would tell their tales, be they tall or not. Frrost moved to the stage and sat down there, reaching back to pluck the now womanly Inuin off of his back and setting her down next to him. "Is this good?"

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:41 pm

At Abraxas' nudging, he looked first down to the small dragon, wondering what she was about, then followed her gaze when after a second she didn't meet his eyes. He looked up to the sky, uncomprehending until it shimmered slightly and he was reminded that they were all trapped in an otherwise invisible cage. That more than any token resistance on part of the children would make it hard for them to escape if something went awry, and lowered his eyes. Yes, he understood. The silent communication was abruptly interrupted when he saw Frost turn sharply and start to head back to Horus' hut before thinking better of it and asking the child for guidance instead. He barely restrained the urge to roll his eyes.

Soon enough they were underway in a more helpful direction, and outside of their destination Cleto paused for a long moment, examining the scrawling all over the outside of the hut. He had of course seen plenty of cave paintings, the crude drawings conveying an abstract story as was thought out by primitive minds. Many such writings existed in the caves that he'd used as a home dotting the ice plains, but these were different. Less refined somehow. Abandoning his study for the moment, Cleto continued inside, shaking snow off his body when he entered the warmer enclosure and settled down near the door, folding his front legs beneath his breast and wrapping his tail around his body. "This is good, yes." He said, inclining his head toward Frost and Inuin. It was still rather strange being indoors, but he was growing rapidly used to the thought. "This place is probably safe as any."

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:46 am

On the point of looking back to Cleto to make him follow her gaze, Abraxas was relieved when the frost dragon understood and looked up at the sphere as well. She could sense that he had gotten what she had tried to convey, even though he did not make any outward movement that suggested as much. Neither did they talk. There was no need to. As Cleto abruptly followed Frost, the horse dragon quickly made to follow, not wanting to lose the warmth of Cleto’s protective wing. No, she would not give that up unless she could help it, not as long as they were trapped in these ice plains. For a brief moment, Abraxas once again wondered how on earth she had even ended up here. Her curiosity had really gotten her into something this time.

In front of them appeared a hut, similar to almost any but the drawings around it suggested that this one was primarily used by the children. It was curious to see what they had made of the outside of the hut and it was unlike anything Abraxas had ever seen. Keeping away from human settlings as much as possible, she rarily came across anything really in relation to their habits, though she had seen similar scribblings once in a while. Upon seeing a drawing the children had made of Frost with his typical rubbing gesture, Abraxas could barely contain her laughter. The picture was all the more amusing seeing Frost standing next to it and contemplating the drawing, probably wondering who that was. It had really captured him well.

The story hall was obviously yet another magical place, which seemed to apply to almost anything with this weird dome. The girl on Frost’s back immediately turned into a more womanly figure when they entered the hut, which made the horse dragon slightly more uncomfortable again. It also made her uncomfortable that Frost settled in an area which seemed far too visible to anyone within the hut. She would have preferred a more private setting, alas there really was not much they could choose from. It relaxed her a little to see that Cleto made himself comfortable on the furs as well, though he was bigger, he could defend himself easier. It was then that Abraxas wondered why she was constantly on edge at the moment, constantly thinking they would be attacked at any moment. It was unsettling, yet she did not know where it came from. Then again, she regularly had such paranoid moments and nothing happened despite of them. Of course, sometimes something did happen..

“Well, alright. What can your little friend tell us about Horus? Does she know anything about what his plan with them is? Why he is doing this to them and why he wants to live forever? What does he want?” Abraxas knew it was a whole lot of questions and she was a little afraid that Frost would not remember all of them, given the fact he was so very easily distracted but there was always hope, right?

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:13 pm

Seeing them both situated as comfortably as they could be, Frost concentrated on their questions briefly, then turned to translate them to Inuin. SO as not to overload her, Frost decided to ask just one at a time, turning to his companions and translating the answer when it was given.
Do you know if Horus has any plans? He asked, to start out.
Not really. She replied. We aren't told too much, other than how to care for ourselves and the village.
Why does he need you? Why does he desire to live forever? He then asked, his head tilting.
I do not know exactly why, however he has told us that he is holding something very precious for a friend.
Precious? He wondered aloud to her. What is it?
He won't tell us. Though he said it was very pretty.

Frost stared into space, his brain processing what he had just translated, then with a huff and a shake of his head he turned to Cleto and Abraxas. "Precious? What could that be?" He asked, as if they could answer him. The thoughts of what such a thing could be swarmed in his head, curiosity taking over. Could it be treasure? Something personal? Ooh, maybe its... The thoughts went, each more fantasic than the next, until Frost had to stop himself, resolving that he would do whateveer he could to find out what it was. Ooh, he couldn't wait!

((Horrid post, but I finally did it /o/))

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Thu Aug 02, 2012 6:28 pm

Cleto continued to examine the building that they had taken shelter in, his mind wandering while Frost talked with the girl/woman about the questions that Abraxas had asked. Or at least that's what he hoped was happening. For all that Cleto knew, the Winter dragon was carrying on a conversation about biscuits, which would be entirely in keeping with his character. Again, he wished that the lackadaisical dragon wasn’t the only one that knew how to communicate with the locals here, but it was a wish that would unfortunately not be granted in the near futures. Cleto puffed a small breath of ice at the ceiling, small ice crystals forming in the air before dissipating into nothing because of the warmer air in the hut. Finally when Frost spoke up in a language that he could understand, it was only to say a short question that made zero sense given that there was no context as far as Cleto could tell.

A soft rumble started in the deepest part of his chest and he shifted slightly, lowering his head to be closer to Frost’s level. “You’re going to have to start speaking sense, or else we’re not going to be going anywhere with this line of questioning.” His deep voice rumbled slightly with the small flare of frustration he felt at what was Frost’s normal way of speaking without sense though seemed rather deliberately done in just a way to irritate the bigger ice dragon. “First, please translate what the girl said for us, if you would. Then perhaps we can figure out what ‘precious’ means in proper context.”

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Sun Aug 05, 2012 8:16 am

Abraxas looked at Cleto, a light frown on her face. “He did translate? Maybe you should have listened instead of playing with ice crystals...,” she added the second part in a light murmur, not wanting to criticise the ice dragon. After all, she had gone to him for shelter against the cold and she rather liked him. Plus, she could understand his frustration, parts of it mirrored in her own sentiments. The questions Frost had asked so far had not really given them much along the lines of usefulness.

“As for this precious thing, well, it would have to be something that both of them see as precious and pretty. Something that would be useful to the both of them as well, I’m guessing.”
As her thoughts scattered a little while she was trying to decipher this riddle, her eyes wondered upwards to where one could see the dome of the hut from the inside as well. It was odd that those things were over only a few huts, and that those were always the ones expanding vastly once one was inside of them.

Snapping her head back to the other two dragons, she gasped: “It’s a magical device, isn’t it? It’s the one item that lets him live forever, that makes this village what it is. A sort of control unit! For all the domes everywhere. And if the controller is as good-looking as the domes – you have to admit, they do look like they’re cut from gems – then maybe that is what we need to be looking for? Find that and this whole situation is resolved?”

Clearing her throat briefly, her excitement had caught in it a little, she added: “Though of course that still does not explain why he needs all these people.” She pointedly looked at Inuit. “And your friend hasn’t really given an answer to that either, so...”
As far as dragons could shrug, that was what Abraxas was now doing before she looked at Frost with a questioning look. “Think you could ask her that again? So she really gives you a clear answer? As far as possible at least...”

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:12 pm

Turning away from Cleto and his harsh statements, Frost put on his best pouty face and mumbled to Inuin. He's such a meanyface. Ignore him, to which he was rewarded with a soft chuckle from the girl. Honestly, the nerve of that big dragon, he had been speaking clear as day in the common language as well,. And people said he had a bad attention span, yeesh. Wait, was that another scuff on my scales? He thought, immediatly leaning in to rectify the problem.

"Ooh, a magical device? Well, that'd definitely explain the dome...." But what on earth would it be? Was it big, tall, tiny, short? Did it taste good? Surely it would be something of great importance, something that Horus would keep well hidden and guarded. Turning to Inuin, Frost mumbled something lightly to her, to which she just shook her head.
Well then, it wasn't that.

But joy, another idea!

"Wait guys, I think I remembered something!" He started, head shooting up. “It was a few years ago, I paid Horus a surprise visit and I saw him hunched over something. He was holding it in both hands, staring at it, and when he realized I was there he jumped and hid it. I had thought it was just a treasure, but maybe…?”

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:37 pm

Cleto cocked a raised eyebrow at the horse dragon but witheld from comment, glad enough that what had seemed like a string of nosense to him had made sense to somebody. It was at least a good solid starting point, something that they needed if they were to proceed in the whole liberating children ordeal and he flexed his claws unconciously at the prospect of getting back to work. He was happiest when moving, so all the sitting around and hee-hawing tended to put him under some duress. “If the jeweled tops are the control units…” He began, following up on Abraxas and Frost under his breath, looking to the ceiling as if he could see the stone that sat atop of the hut through the roof, listening with one ear as Abraxas continued and Frost brought up seeing Horus’ unknown object. “Then that could be the master control.” He finished the thought in conversational tone, still puzzling out the meaning of it all, his brows furrowing. “But we can’t hardly meander up and ask… who knows what could happen…” he trailed off again, mumbling to himself.

After a breath of a pause, Cleto looked to Inuin, studying her as if it was the first time that he’d ever seen the girl. “Perhaps the children aren’t just keeping him immortal. Maybe they serve a dual purpose? They could be the source for the illusions… some sort of syphoning spell and Horus collected whatever isn’t used and utilizes it himself…” True or not, Cleto could make all of the educated guesses in the world, but at the end of the day this was simply not his specialization of things. “Something that important that he would want no one to see… If it were me, and I wanted to hide something, I would bury it. Deaden the smell and put a stone slab over it if there were other big dragons in the area that might track down my trinkets. But digging a big hole could call attention to the hiding spot if you do it wrong. Hiding things in plain sight is often the best way to keep others from noticing it. Is there a place like that? Somewhere that the children never have access to, or would never think to look?”

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:57 am

For a flicker of a moment, Abraxas wondered whether they were even heading down the right path with their suggestions and ideas, but there was no other path to follow for the time being, thus she calmed herself down again and hoped for the best.
Listening intently to Cleto, who followed up on both the horse dragon’s and the winter dragon’s ideas, she cocked her head lightly to the side as she tried to follow his logic.

“So...,” she mused as he was finished, “if it were to be in plain view, it would really be something the children would not notice, or not see as special – if it is in a spot they have access to, which I think it is. They are kids and anything forbidden would just spark their curiosity to life. Or maybe it’s something they are in awe of but have seen so many times already because it is just there that it would not cross their mind to consider it anything more than as what it is displayed at.”

It sounded confusing even to herself but she knew that she had put it the right way. Somehow at least. “The question is though, where do we start looking?” Once again, her gaze went upwards to where Cleto had been staring for so long and she frowned as she looked at the dome more clearly. Nudging the frost dragon, she muttered to him: “Do you think we could get up there?” Considering Cleto’s size, maybe he could not, but she could maybe. Frost would be a hazard and probably forget why he had flown up there. Maybe it was risky, but maybe it was also worth the shot? If she could actually access the dome.

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:22 pm

Something hidden in plain sight... could be. Problem is, this was quickly becoming a game of hide-and seek, and Frost never was a good seeker. But his companions seemed to be on the ball, quickly shooting ideas out while he and Inuin sat in silence, staring, both out of a different sort of ignorance. But Frost's simple brain slowly began piecing together parts of their conversation and he turned to the young girl, striking up his own conversation with her. I think we're looking for something now. Something that's hidden by not hiding it." He said to her, to which she pursed her lips, then in a dual epiphany they both-- checked under the pelt carpet. "Darn, nothing." Frost mumbled, looking at the girl, to which she offered a shrug, as if saying 'Oh well.'

Thing is, there was just too many possibilities. There were a lot of buildings, each unique in their own way, plus an uncountable number of murals and mosaics, made out of whatever odd baubles the children happened across and found to be pretty. If they were looking for something that could fit in the palm of your hand, it would be near impossible to pick it out from everything else unless you could detect magic. Oh bother, things were becoming more and more confusing.

"Perhaps we should be thinking from his point of view?" Frost asked the two, butting in on their conversation. "I mean, Horus is very old. I think he would maybe try to keep it close by, as well, so he could get to it quickly. What do you think?"

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Thu Dec 27, 2012 5:37 pm

"If he were keeping it close, then we're back to where we started." Cleto said with blustery sigh that ruffled one of the fur rugs near him, sending it flipping over itself. "It would be in his house. Or under it, or on it." Which was exactly the problem. Horus being a magician just made everything complicated, and he really didn't want to endanger the children. He had no idea what sort of side effects the spell that made the children look older would have if it suddenly vanished, or if the mage tweaked it somehow in a fit of rage. "If he has one of these globe-y bauble things" Cleto lifted his chin to the ceiling "on top of his hut, then we could knock it off and see if anything happens." He would be all for knocking things around. All this mystery and talk of magic was making his scales itch and making him want to go out and get things done. Looking at the ceiling once more, Cleto got to his feet, careful to not step on anything crushable as he did so and started stretching toward the roof, standing back on his hind legs to reach up and touch his nose to the under side of the dome. When nothing extraordinary happened, he huffed and got back down. "Maybe if we cause enough trouble, Horus will reveal whatever he's got hidden on accident."

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Fri Dec 28, 2012 10:43 pm

Abraxas noticed the joint look of Frost and Inuit directed under the carpet and was stunned for a brief moment, wondering what on earth that could have possibly helped for the problem at hand. Then again, nothing seemed to bear some fruit. They were turning in circles no matter what they were trying to figure out, and thinking about it from Horus’ point of view.. well, yes, maybe that could give them a hint of an idea but he didn’t necessarily think the way they thought he would think.

“He may be very old but he’s also a magician, thus his mind may be a little different from what we’d expect of an older being.” The horse dragon wasn’t criticising Frost but she wanted to make sure they were approaching this from the right angle before doing anything stupid.
Like knocking the dome off of his house as Cleto suggested now.

“Okay, so, I’m really not for stupid ideas, but to be honest, there is nothing else we can do, unless any of you are up for sniffing around this place for years without getting lucky. And since we’re going to get into trouble either way with Horus – or so it seems to me – we may as well give him a run for his money. Let’s get that dome off his house, or there isn’t one, we’ll find something else to disturb to attract some attention and figure out that magic source of his. One way or another...”

Subject: Re: Sleepy dragon, Hollow stomach Thu Mar 28, 2013 5:56 am

Frost thought for a bit on Cleto's suggestion, a though coming immediately to his mind; A rare occurrence for the winter dragon. "Now that you mention it," He began, beaming up at the larger dragon, "There are baubles on the tops of all of the buildings. If they have something to do with the forcefield, then I wouldn't doubt that messing with them would make Horus show his hand." The matter of getting on the tops of the buildings would be easy. Frost and Abraxas had their wings, and the buildings were small enough that Cleto could easily climb on top of them, even with their spacious interiors.

Inuin, after having the plan suggested to her by Frost, was visibly shocked at the notion, and rightfully so. To her, indeed all of the children in this village, the forcefield protected them from the harsh environment outside, not to mention any beasts or intruders who might threaten their doors. She wondered why they would even need to expose whatever 'plan' that Horus had, as they were all quite happy with their lives. True, many of them would like to explore more than they are allowed, but they were at least safe like this. They were safe, weren't they? Frost did what he could to placate her, though the concept was well beyond even his grasp. But he had to believe that he was doing the right thing, especially when it came to these children. If need be, he would have no problem relocating them.

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