An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen)

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Fri Jun 25, 2010 3:34 pm

Ooc;; Apologies for the late reply, I had to finish off the last of my exams, and I finally have time to roleplay again! XD

Bic;; The cold water engulfed his entire body, and his wings sent off a huge splash that reached the tops of some of the nearby trees. He felt the water rush down his throat as he gasped at the sudden rush of liquid. It went down all the wrong pipes, and he began to splutter, but it only made things worse.
Kicking with his legs - well, as much as he could - he came into contact with a rather large rock and used it as support. Steadying himself up, he began to swim for the surface.
Seconds past until his head was visible again in the orange sunlight.

Making his way to the side, he gently heaved his great body onto the bank. But instead of collapsing and after coughing up water, he focused his vision on the grass in front of him and opened his mouth, trying to let out a stream of flames. But failed. Instead, a small smoke of smoke escaped. His heavy breathing turned into a growl, half from pain and half from exhaustion. Finally giving in, he bent his hind legs and sat down.
Failing to notice Freki only a few metres away.

But then, he remembered about the human. Quickly scanning the area, he spotted Freki lying on the grass. Around him, was blood, which was quickly staining the greenery. From a distance, he would look dead, but Silverwing knmew he was alive by the heavy rises and falls of his chest, and that fact that he was coughing out water.
"Freki..." He tried to call, but his voice was hoarse and barely a whisper. He tried again.
"Freki..." Using up the last remaining energy within his body, he limped over to the human's body and lowered his head down next to him. And saw the deap injury on his side.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Fri Jun 25, 2010 6:40 pm

Freki's lungs were burning with the water from the river and his stomach began revolting more and more against the constant coughing. The young man convulsed in an effort to get all the unnecessary water out, almost throwing up but the motion sent a bolt of searing pain through his entire body, making him fall back flat onto his stomach. Sweat pearls mixed with the water drops and the tears that were suddenly streaming out of his eyes. He didn't dare touch the wound on his side, which seemed to be much bigger than he'd first thought. He knew that pain was not always comparable to the size of a wound since even a little cut could hurt like hell but this seemed different. Every tiny movement that involved his side even only in the slightest made him wince in pain.

It took him quite some time before he realised Silverwing's head close to his, his breathing and voice in just as bad shape as his. When he tried to talk to the dragon, all he could bring out was another cough but no actual words. After this latest fit was over, he finally managed to speak a few hoarse words. "I might..." Coughing." "...have a tiny scratch.... on my side." More coughing. "Would you mind having a look?" He finally dared lifting his head off the ground to look at Silverwing. His breathing was slowly coming back to normal, minus the strain the pain of the injury put into it, and with his breathing came back his normal voice. "How are you? Did any of the wounds clash open again?" Attempting to get up, he gasped as the next sting cut through his body like a knife. His vision was swimming before his eyes and he lay his head back down, concentrating on breathing evenly and letting his body rest again before he tried any other movements.

~((Oh no worries ^^ As usual hehe. Sorry this is so short but I didn't know what else to say.. Hope it's enough to work with!))~

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Sat Jun 26, 2010 11:13 am

Ooc;; Haha, it's okay. =p I actually think there's no point anyway for essay long posts when nothing's really happening. ^^;

Bic;;

Silverwing made out the words of a screatch on Freki's side, and he nodded. Eventhough he knew he couldn't see him. Shifting his weight and moving one of his legs, he twisted round to look at what damage had been done. What he saw wasn't a pretty sight. There was a huge gash running down the human's side and it was bleeding. It wasn't life threatening, but it wasn't something anyone would like to have under any circumstance.
"Did you do this on one of the rocks? Or did I do this to you by accident?" Then he paused, thinking about what had just happened. He would have known if he had struck Freki.
"You didn't jump when I told you too." He said sternly.

But now wasn't the time to be angry at his lack of response. He had to do something about his injury. He knew it would be hard, considering the state he was in himself, but it was the only way they were going to move away from this place anytime soon.
"I'll be able to clean it for you. Do you have that shoulder bag with you? Does it have a bandage in it?" If it did, then the human would have to dress his side himself, for sharp claws and delicate material didn't go well. Plus the fact that if he tried to put it on, he would probably cause him more injuries. As well as the fact he wouldn't be 100% sure what he was meant to do anyway. Dragons weren't like humans, they didn't wrap odd substances around them when they were injured, it was a two-legged thing.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Sat Jun 26, 2010 1:02 pm

Since he didn't see Silverwing inspect his wound, he didn't ask what it looked like, plus, he wasn't really sure he wanted to. Asking the dragon to have a look did not automatically imply you wanted to know all the gory details, right? It would be a nuisance to clean the injury, whatever it looked like, not even mention bandaging it seeing that Freki could barely move without his side burning as if he'd been caught in a fire. When he heard Silverwing's question, he would have smiled, had he been up to it. "No, I caught a rock on the way down. It's not your fault." He had been far enough away from the dragon to not worry about being caught by its claws when it had begun slashing around to reappear at the surface of the river. Despite not feeling well enough to lift his head back up yet so he could glare at Silverwing, he growled: "Oh right, so it's my fault I jumped into a rock and hurt myself." Forcing his head back up, he added: "It was too high yet to jump. I am merely human." And with that, Freki forced himself up onto his knees, letting out a small scream of pain. Hands still on the floor to steady himself, he tried to breathe calmly and then pushed himself up completely. With a little sigh, the young man realised that the sitting position was less painful than the lying one.

At Silverwing's question, Freki couldn't help but laugh out loud, which in response brought him another stab of pain from his side. "Of course I have the shoulder bag with me, but as wet as water usually is, I don't think anything inside it will be of much use for the next couple of hours." He definitely had not thought the dragon's idea of landing in a river through properly. All his herbs, all the bandages were wet. He would have to lay it all out somewhere to dry without having anything go mouldy. Though he was pretty sure, he could throw away some of the herbs. Shaking his head, careful not to move anything but his neck, Freki looked the dragon over. The way Silverwing held his hind legs did not promise good news, but he asked again: "How are you feeling? Are any of your wounds hurting again?" Still eyeing the leg, Freki realised that this little adventure might have brought them away from the immediate threat of Silverwing's attackers but now that they were both in bad shape, they were relatively easy prey. Not that Freki had ever been a hard catch, but this knowledge made the young man slightly uneasy.

"Don't worry about cleaning it, I'll manage," and with that, he began rummaging in his bag - a wonder he had not lost it in the river - to find something without herb bits sticking to it so he could at least clean the wound out. Bandaging would be out of the question until he himself and the bandages were dry again. "We're lucky, it's not the middle of winter, eh?" he attempted to joke, suppressing another yelp as he began fiddling with his wound. "What's the next step in your brilliant plan then?" He asked Silverwing under the breath he'd been holding every time he touched his exposed skin.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Sat Jun 26, 2010 5:23 pm

Silverwing raised his head slowly and nodded. Normally he would have argued at Freki's sudden change in tone, but he he stayed silent. He was actually thinking about something else, thinking about where they actually were, and what that odd smell was. He seemed to recognise it, but couldn't quite put a finger onto exactly what it was. His eyes weren't even upon Freki anymore, they were looking about the landscape. There was the odd tree dotted around, that seemed to get denser the further away from the river they were. Like it had been planned by someone, so access to the only spot of water around for a long distance had easy access to it. But then the human's question brought his attention back to him again.

Yes, they were hurting like hell. and that wasn't even taking into considereation his right hind leg. "I'm uh, they're fine." He lied, he wasn't used to showing weakness. It was instinct to him now, like it was to any dragon.
Then the human mentioned something about winter...Silverwing's heart skipped a beat. He knew what that smell was. They moved away at Winter, and returned at Spring/Summer...Elves! But the question was, were they friendly, or not? It was like with any species, some were, and some weren't. But they were in their territory, and that wasn't goign to help matters.
Suddenly, he heard something stir in one of the bushes. He qhizzed his head round and narrowed his eyes onto the spot, but he saw nothing. But his nostrils were burning with the scent of elves. Were they surrounded? Already? Nevertheless, they had made a rather large amount of noise when they 'landed'.

"Freki, we need to move." He was fully aware that they were again, in no state to move. But if they could get away now, they might miss a meeting that could turn deadly.
However, mere seconds after he closed his mouth, the bushes exploded with life.
Ten-twenty bodies came running at them with weapons held high into the air.
Silverwing's instincts kicked in almost straight away. he raised himself up to a standing position and dug the talons from all four of his feet into the ground. It killed, but he had to do it. His ears flattened against his head and an agressive growl escaped from within his throat.
Not wasting any time, he opened his mouth to blow a stream of flames just in front of him, warning the elves not to come any closer. But instead of a blaze, came another puff of smoke.
However, the elves suddenly stopped; lowered their weapons down. They simply stood there. Staring in amazement...But still, Silverwing didn't withdraw his defensive stance, it could be a trick. They could be changing their method of ambush right now...

Ooc;; I told you I'm terrible with elves, I'm only hoping they would do something like that...? XD

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Sun Jun 27, 2010 6:38 pm

As soon as Silverwing's guarded voice reached his ear, Freki stopped what he was doing and looked at the dragon with alarm: "What's wrong?" It would take him a little to get himself into an upright position without ripping his skin even more and the dragon seemed to be in somewhat of a hurry, which was worrying. However, the question of how they were going to move in their current states turned out to be superfluous. Merely seconds later they were surrounded by ... elves?!.. who were pointing at least two dozen swords and arrows at them with rather ferocious looks on their faces. Silverwing forced himself up into a threatening position, which actually worked despite all the wounds and the pain in his hind leg. As for Freki, he simply remained frozen in his kneeling position, not daring to make the slightest movement for fear he might be pierced by one of those glinting weapons.

Yet from one moment to the other, the elves attitude changed radically and startled looks could be distinguished on their faces, with sometimes a look of pure surprise intermingled with utter amazement. Freki grew ever more confused and kept glancing from the dragon to the elves and back. He had heard little of elves, but what he'd heard made him have almost inhuman respect for them. Not only were they ageing slowly - if at all - but they used their time wisely, growing proficient in the use of many weapons, accumulating knowledge of so much more than any human could ever dream of. Elves had been around for what seemed like eternity, appearing in various stories of Dragon's Cove and probably also the surrounding places as mysterious beings who were both dangerous and kind. The question remained whether these were dangerous or kind, though their entrance made Freki bet on the first one.

Before he could think about it any further, the elves standing in front of them suddenly parted to let half a dozen more elves pass. These few appeared to be even more gracious and elegant than the others, though Freki was dumbstruck at how they could be so despite holding vicious looking weapons. The new arrivals however did not have any weapons on them, or at least so it seemed. Clad in what could only be described as robes, they stood before Silverwing, touching their hands to their lips, and said: "Guardian, it is an honour to welcome you amongst us. We apologise for the misunderstanding and sincerely hope we did not frighten you and your companion by our sudden appearance." Looking at Freki, the speaker, who seemed to be the leader of the group, gestured with his hand: "Please, let us help both of you. You are now our guests and nothing should be missed. Our healers will tend to your wounds presently and we will grant you any other help you may need."

Freki gaped at them, open-mouthed, all the while thinking that this was completely inappropriate and not at all a worthy behaviour to encounter elves. From all he'd ever heard, he'd gathered they all had some kind of royal blood in them and even if that were untrue, they were still many levels above humans, they were rarely granted to meet real elves in person. Seeing them before him now, Freki could understand how many were fascinated by stories about elves and awestruck by what they heard, yet he could not understand how anyone could hate them and everything in connection with them.

The elves remained standing completely straight and elegant, awaiting the dragon's reply before they made another move. The ranks of warriors - or so it seemed - were putting away their weapons slowly, sheathing their swords and putting arrows and bows away again. Freki looked at Silverwing, for it was obvious that he, a mere human as opposed to a guardian dragon - what was that anyway?! - was not of very high importance. Either way, Freki would not have known how to react or how to behave, so he looked at the dragon for guidance and would follow his example. Or at least try to.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Wed Jun 30, 2010 3:54 pm

Silverwing's ears pricked forwards as the sudden 'herd' of elves flocked sideways and let a few more through the middle. These were obviously a higher, or different rank. But it was typical for them to send the warriors in first as a precaution. Quite like, if they don't have reason, or look dangerous, capture them. If you can't capture them, kill them. That was the one thing he hated about elves. How the warriors always come through first, so if you were alone, you would have no chance. Unless of course, you were a dragon.
He merely grunted as they apologised for their sudden, threatening appearance, for it had caused him a great deal of more pain that wasn't necessary.

Relaxing his defensive position, he bowed his head at their welcoming gesture. Afterwards, he immediatly lifted his saw hind leg from the ground and shifted most of the weight off of his front shoulder that had serious bit marks on it.
"Thank you, elf. That would be most appreciated." He paused for a bit, now looking like his injured self again. "But we canot be known to anyone else. Within this present time, you cannot speak of our appearnace here, or that we are within your territory. Since the chances are, someone will ask, and all of you will be in grave danger if you tell them." All the while, he didn't take his eyes' of who seemed to be their leader.

Silverwing then shook his head and sniffed the air, taking in their new ally's scent. It wouldn'tt ake long for him to get used to it. He then turned to look at Freki who seemed shocked beyond reason. He stared at him hoping he would get the idea to follow him.
Silverwing then limped forwards slowly, and stopped when he was closer to the elves. "We can't stay here, out in the open, I apologise, but we need to go. Take us to where you stay." His tone was polite, and his head lowered down slightly to their level, so he didn't show any form of intimidation to their leader. Another problem was the last thing he wanted right now.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:20 pm

A wave, even though a shallow one, of relief washed over Freki as Silverwing accepted the elves' apology and their proposal. He released the breath he had not realised he had been holding and gave a little sigh. Had the dragon decided to fight despite the elf leader's kind words, it would have been certain death. For him at least. He was pretty sure that even Silverwing in his injured state would have had trouble to keep up with the elves' legendary speed and perfection. However, he had to admit that it was somehow making him really more comfortable in this new situation that the guardian dragon resumed sparing his hind leg, showing the points where it hurt.

Freki still sat on his knees, which by now had become a fairly painful position to be in, but he hadn't dared move until this was resolved. Now that they were talking about moving away from here and Silverwing actually took a few steps, the young man tried to get up onto his feet but it showed to be rather impossible. He did not like coming across like a wuss but this rip in his side hurt more and more. It probably didn't help either that he hadn't been able to clean it completely, who knew what kind of germs or whatever else was floating in that river.

A shadow flew over the elf's face, almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, when the dragon told him what to do. Apparently, despite their reverence, they were not about to begin taking orders, even if it only sounded like one and wasn't meant like it. But of course, he inclined his head and beckoned Silverwing and Freki to follow him. Freki was still struggling to get to his feet, when suddenly one of the elf warriors appeared beside him and with a quick - and painless, oh surprise! - pull, the young man was finally on his feet. He thanked the elf and in the same breath added: "I'm sorry, I'm not usually this helpless..." Knowing full well that he probably was.... But he didn't want to admit such a thing to these extraordinary people to whom almost every being must appear like at least a minor weakling.

The warriors had taken the guardian dragon's hint seriously and took up position all around them when they began to move back towards the trees. They kept scanning the area for any possible intruders or spies or whatever it was they were looking for. It made Freki feel slightly uneasy as nothing seemed to escape their attention, but on the other hand, it was rather comforting as well, knowing that Silverwing's attackers would not have an easy game if they wanted to come close to him again. As soon as the guardian dragon started moving again, Freki followed him like a second shadow, the elf warrior at his elbow to make sure he was not getting into trouble. He wondered where they were going to be taken and he especially wondered how Silverwing felt about going back into the forest and seemingly a little way into the direction they'd just come from. Of course, now they had someone to defend them, but still...

However, nothing Freki had ever dreamed about or would ever dream about could do justice to what he saw next. The forest was not just a normal forest anymore. The colours were so much clearer, more distinguished, the flowers looked so much fresher, the greens of the trees seemed to thrive with vivacity and it all looked so overly beautiful, Freki began wondering whether all this had been created by the elves' magic - which he was sure they possessed even though they had not seen any real evidence so far of them being able to actually use it. He was absolutely convinced though that it was not just a legend.

Not far into the forest, a huge clearing opened before them, revealing what seemed an elven city or some kind of habitat. Freki's eyes flew from left to right and everywhere, like a child's at Christmas, opening presents, discovering something new and awesome with every blink. As soon as their party appeared, every activity ceased and several dozens pairs of eyes stared at the guardian dragon in amazement. Even though it did not concern him personally, Freki felt slightly embarrassed about being there with him. He was not the extremely social kind that liked being in or just being a part of the centre of attention and this, for him, was a little too much. Slowly, he retreated so he was almost completely hidden by Silverwing's massive form and looked at the happenings from a safer distance, nearly out of eyesight.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Fri Jul 02, 2010 4:37 pm

Silverwing noted the glint in the elf's eye, but thought nothing of it. The respect he had for him was obvious, and he knew that the elf wouldn't suddenly change his mind and attack him in anyway. If he knew that he was a Guardian dragon, then he must also know that he wasn't the only one out there. And if anything happened, it wouldn't be the last the elf heard of them. Eventually, the others would come.
But that was beside the point, the elf had offered to help them and heal them, now wasn't the time to think about drastic measures.

As the elves surrounded him and Freki, he glanced at the human to read his expression, and it was quite bewildering, to be honest. As the elves started to walk forwards taking into their own pace, Silverwing too, began to move. As much as it hurt, he knew that walking was the only way they were going to get there.
As good as the elves were at everything, he doubted they would be able to carry a dragon this size.
Silverwing placed his two front legs forwards and half-jumped to avoid putting any weight on his back hind leg. It was getting worse now. what Freki had done had helped him, but his leg was seizing up and that landing hadn't done anything for him. Neither had putting it down with full weight on it to mark his defensive stance.

After what seemed like an age of pain, the forest opened up into a beautiful clearing. It had been a while since Sivlerwing had had the time to see Dragon Cove's beauty, and he regretted it. The elven city was outstanding, and completey different to the last one he had seen.
But as soon as they entered their inner territory, he noticed the buzz of chatter quickly came to a standstill, and all of the everyday activities halted.
There were many eyes upon him both, and out of the corner of his, he noticed Freki quickly hide behind him like a shy child.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:55 am

Freki kept peering out from behind the Guardian Dragon until one of the elves who had escorted them beckoned to him without uttering a word though. Reluctantly, he followed the elf towards one of the larger huts, curious as to what was awaiting him but also slightly afraid of what they might do to him. Glancing back over his shoulder towards the Guardian Dragon, he noted a few new elves had appeared, dressed in simple tunics, some with pouches similar to the one he dearly wanted to dry and refill. Maybe those were the healers the leading elf, who did not leave the dragon’s sight, had spoken of? At least he hoped so, especially since Silverwing could use someone to check up on the injuries after their spectacular landing and his latest efforts in trying to mark the big defender.

Turning back towards his guide, he was dumbstruck at the sight of the insides of the hut. Every wall was lined with shelves upon shelves filled with vials and small containers of every size and shape. The smell of herbs and medicine was so overwhelming, he almost took a step back towards the fresh air until he grew used to the strong scent. “This is amazing!” he whispered, his eyes glittering with fascination as he tried to take it all in at one glance but it was sheer impossible. Every pain he had felt was completely forgotten, blanked out by his desire to explore the details of the treasures to be found inside this hut.

Freki was forced back into reality when he had to brutally gasp for air as suddenly an elf, wearing much the same kind of tunics as the ones that had surrounded Silverwing, appeared out of seemingly nowhere and touched his side. He looked at the elf with accusing eyes, but didn’t trust his voice to say something. The elf looked at him: “It hurts a lot but it looks worse than it is. This should only take a moment.” Rummaging through various ingredients scattered about the room, the elf returned to the young man and began a similar ritual to what Freki had done with Silverwing a few hours earlier - only this was much quicker, and tickled hellishly, making Freki want to scratch at the wound constantly. After the elf seemed satisfied with what he’d accomplished, Freki dared to venture a look at his side only to stare at it open-mouthed. Where he had expected to be a huge gap or at least awful looking scar tissue having plastered itself over the wound, there was nothing more than a slim reddish-pink line. Astonished, Freki asked the elf how he had done that, whereupon the elf simply gave him a knowing smile but did not reply. The young man however did not accept that as an answer and cautiously ventured a guess: “This was not only the herbs, was it? Did you use magic?” The elf only gave him another smile before he waved at Freki’s earlier guide to take him away and turned back towards his many pots and pouches.

The warrior elf gently took the human by the arm, realising that the latter was not going to budge by himself, and lead him back outside, apparently amused at the look on Freki’s face.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Mon Jul 12, 2010 7:57 pm

As he watched Freki dissapear into a small hut, he noticed that more and more eyes became drawn to him. It was strange, for it had been a while since more than a few people had seen him. But then he realised that if he didn't show his face much, then it was obvious they weer all going to stare. Especially if he was classed as a rare sight.
A few elves walked over to him through the growing crowd, and he didn't take his eyes off them. Until the leader spoke again.
"Come, let us heal you." Quickly, he began to walk forwards heading towards a row of large huts, with trees spraying outwards. There were very few elves around there, if any at all, so he guessed it was where people high up in the rank lived. He took a closer look at them in the distance, and from what he coudl see, they did look rather fancy...for an elven hut.

As the leader moved forwards, so did the escorts around him, meaning he had to go too. Great. With the little energy he had left, he pushed his weight forwards and limped with them. Biting his lip, he held back a roar of pain, since his leg was seizing up badly. The enclosed space of huts and trees seemed so far away, he honestly didn't think he would be able to carry himself all the way there.
As they moved slowly, he heard a few gasps from the crowd around him.
"Look mummy, he's injured..." A child said, tugging on her mother's clothes.
"What happened?" Another asked.
"What could put a Guardian in such a state??"
"Why is he alone?"
"Was he in a fight?"
The questions rolled on, and all Silverwing could do was kepp his head down and hobble onwards. He couldn't tell them about the danger they were all in. He knew that every second he strayed away from the task at hand, the others came closer. And with the other Guardians off the isle for a while, there was nothing he could do. Not in this state, anyway.

The seconds rolled into minutes and he came closer and closer to the hidden space behind the huts and trees.He guessed they were heading there so he could be treated in piece, since it would be hard to get all of the elves to stop staring at such a rare sight. But right now, that didn't seem like such a bad idea if it meant not moving.
Finally, he was just a step away from being hidden, until he couldn't bare the pain anymore. His hind leg buckled, his wings sprayed out and he let out a roar of agony as he crashed to the floor.

There was noway he could get up now. His throat was burning, his leg was screaming and he couldn't take it anymore.
"Quick!" He heard a voice shout. "Bring the stuff to him!" All Silverwing could do now was hope that they could treat him on the ground, since he had no energy left, and he couldn't bare thepain anymore...

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Fri Jul 23, 2010 1:35 pm

As soon as they stepped outside the hut, Freki saw the crowd that had gathered, obviously entranced by the presence of a guardian dragon in their midst. Especially the children seemed to be awestruck by Silverwing’s appearance though many of the elves looked worried by the state the dragon was currently in. Freki however was confident that the elves would soon have him up and about again.

“I only hope they can heal him quickly,” he muttered, barely understandable, which earned him a questioning look from the elf beside him.
“Healing should not be rushed,” the warrior stated simply.
“I know, but the thing is that Silverwing might still be followed and might be attacked at any time, or at least he thinks so,” Freki explained and wished he hadn’t as he saw the elf’s face darken. Hastily, he tried to remedy his mistake by uttering an unnecessary apology: “I am sorry, we did not want to endanger any of you.” He did feel bad for the children when he thought than an attack might be imminent, but on the other hand, it was the elves that had revealed themselves, not them that had intruded on the elves.
The elf waved away his words. “Do not think that our children are defenceless,” he defiantly said, surprising Freki by addressing exactly what the young man had been thinking about with saying a word, “but the time has not come yet for us to reveal that we are here.”

As Silverwing crashed to the ground, no longer being able to support his weight on the injured leg, Freki’s warrior guide barked a short expression in elvish, demonstrating a great deal of authority, to which the elves reacted by retreating further away from the guardian dragon. The healers had positioned themselves on various spots around Silverwing’s body, working as if they were all one. Every motion looked graceful, coordinated and Freki, in vain, tried to find out how they were doing their healing.

Meanwhile, Freki’s guide had moved towards the dragon’s head and was talking to the leader, who apparently was not all too pleased by the message he’d just received and contemplated Silverwing and Freki with a contemplating look on his face. When Freki shortly glanced up from observing the healers, the elf leader motioned him over to them and even before he reached them, he was asked to recount the story of what had happened to Silverwing.

A bit at a loss, Freki admitted: “I don’t know. From what I’ve seen of the wounds and from what I’ve gathered what Silverwing himself has told me, he was attacked by dragons. But as to why, I don’t know.. I only know the he is on some kind of mission.” The young man trailed off, feeling slightly embarrassed at not being able to properly answer the question but how could he? He had never received a detailed account of what had happened and what he told them was really all he knew. A grave look crossed the leader’s face. “Very well then,” and with a nod to the warrior elf, he added: “Prepare for battle. But discreetly.” Freki’s eyes widened in shock, to which the warrior elf said, bemused: “It’s a precautionary measure, it does not mean we will be attacked.” Nevertheless, the young man did not like this and his well-known friend fear began creeping back. Staring at the guardian dragon, Freki wondered what the heck was going on.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Sat Jul 24, 2010 9:07 pm

As even more elves rushed over to him, he turned to look straight ahead. This whole movement of healing was quite familiar to him now, after Freki had done it beforehand. But unlike before, he now had many hands rubbing over the wounds on his body. So instead of having to manage with the severe pain in one spot as the oitment was rubbed, he now had plenty more to think about.
This rubbing was done a lot quicker, and with a hand that seemed to have the skill from many healings.
But that didn't make it any more comfortable, or any less painful. He scrunched his eyes up n an attempt to not show any others the pain he was in. He really appreciated what the elves were doing, and didn't want to let them know their procedure was hell.

A few minutes passed and one by one, the hands stopped rubbing and similarly, the pain seeped away. He knew elves used hints of magic, since he had seen it in action a few times before. But never had he experienced a healing on himself. It was quite quick actually, quicker than he expected, quicker than he had ever seenbefore.
But then again, maybe the small amounts of magic inside him helped aid his wounds. How that could have happened, he didn't know, but for the moment, he had other things to worry about.

Suddenly, the elves backed away slightly, and another two made their way through the small group. They stopped by the side of him, simply staring at Silverwing's hind leg. A few second spassed and they exchanged a few concerned glances. Before one of them wondered up towards Silverwing's head to make conversation.
"What happened to make your leg like this?" He spoke, in a calm, but serious voice. Silverwing returned his gaze.
His eyes' flicked through the small crowd, before he made his voice only audible to the elf in front of him. It was best if few people knew what had happened.
"I...crashed." He began. "Into an oak, the great oak a few miles away from the river." The elf raised an eyebrow, shocked, obviously understanding which tree he meant.
"How badly?"
"It split." The elf was failing at holding back his shocked expression, amazed at the fact that such a sturdy tree was broken. He knew now that it was a bad fall.
"How did this happen?"
Silverwing shot him a quick, cold glance that without making a anoise, told the elf that he was best not to know. That it would only worry him.

Understanding, the elf walked back to the other one who was standing next to Silverwing's side. He whispered a afew things in his ear, and a similar expression appeared on the other's face. It made Silverwing wonder to himself. Wonder whether that specific tree was improtant to them in some way. But his thoughts were interrupted as a short, sharp strand of pain shot up his hind leg. He let out a quiet gasp, and span his head round to see what they were doing to him. He was quick enough to watch as the taller elf took his hands away from his leg. Just for him to put them on again, and press harder in the same place. Silverwing let out another gasp, this time loud enough for the two to hear, and as soon as they did, the elf took his hands away quickly. Obviously taking in the fact that it hurt the dragon.
"Sorry, just hold still, this wont take a second, we need to feel what's wrong, and whther it's broken or not." He re-applied his hands and ran his fingers across Silverwing's scales, feeling along the bone. All the while, the dragon faught against the immense pain he was in.

He didn't know how long had passed when he saw the elf walking up to make contact with him again. "It's broken." He said plainly, "In two different places." Silverwing merely loked at him, glad the extra pain had stopped from them poking about. "We won't be able to heal it as quick as your other wounds, so you'll have to rest, for a day at the least."
Silverwing shuffled slightly at the word 'day'. And the elf in front of him noticed. he was about to ask why that was a problem, but the Guardian dragon shot him the same look as before, and he kept quiet.
Raising his head, he noticed Freki, watching, but as soon as he made eye-contact, he forced his vision elsewhere. They were in danger, and he felt entirely responsible for it.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:21 pm

Not only Silverwing was wondering why this specific tree was so important to the elves or which value it held. After all, it had to be ancient, or rather had to have been. Freki only hoped that this accident wasn’t going to come back to bite them in the behind. As much as he wanted to think that he was not going to be considered accountable for it – if it came down to a trial or anything along those lines – he was sure his hopes would not be fulfilled. Especially not after one of the elves who had asked the guardian dragon about his leg shot him an angry look, which made Freki want to disappear. The fact that a fight might be imminent was already scaring him enough and now he seemed to be on the bad side of at least two elves – something he did not enjoy.

When Freki, his guide and the leading elf had moved to the head, they couldn’t help overhearing what the dragon and the healer had been talking about, despite their voices being low and now the group began to vividly discuss this in whispering tones. Freki however did not listen very attentively and therefore didn’t really understand what exactly they were saying. His attention was now focused on Silverwing and the healers working on his broken leg. He so badly wished he could accomplish what they could. Healing was such a valuable skill and in Freki’s mind one of the best and most helpful abilities one could master.

When his eyes met those of the guardian dragon, who immediately looked away, Freki was puzzled. Next to the pain the dragon would obviously be feeling, the young man had seen guilt in Silverwing’s eyes and he could not understand why that would be. Though, he did not want to ask the dragon in front of the elves; such a thing would not do. At least, now that he had something to worry about again, the fear began to dissipate a little and Freki’s muscles slowly eased tension, though the knot in his stomach remained. There was something much bigger going on here, something where Silverwing being attacked was only a small piece of the puzzle. The broken oak tree being another piece, in probably a different puzzle..

The young man’s eyes suddenly lit up as the healers stepped away from the dragon, hoping they had managed to rearrange the broken bones and heal the leg completely. Even if he hadn’t seen Silverwing’s reaction to the statement that he would have to rest for a day, he knew the dragon wasn’t going to like it, but if the dragon felt only in the slightest the creeping sleepiness that now threatened to overwhelm Freki after the healing, that day would go by quite quickly with sleeping. He wanted to ask the dragon how he was but didn’t want to interrupt the healers that were regularly checking up on Silverwing and talking to him and thus kept moving from the individual spaces back to the dragon’s head. In addition, what would be gained from asking someone in pain how they were feeling.

So instead, Freki turned back to the elves and asked: “Without wanting to sound presumptuous, but why is this oak tree so important to you? I realise it is a magnificent symbol of nature, but that doesn’t quite explain the shock the accident seems to have caused.” The leader gave a small smile, though Freki could not quite distinguish whether it was ironic or not, and quietly replied: “It is not only a symbol of nature, as you have so rightly stated, it is a symbol of who and what we are. A part not only of our beliefs, but of ourselves.” And with this, he nodded to Freki in a brusque but polite motion, turned on his heel and headed towards one of the huts. He chanced a questioning look at the warrior elf still standing next to him, but this was only answered with a mere shrug. The young man felt the knot in his stomach tighten again furiously, but he did not dare say anything further for fear he would discover even more unpleasant notions and thus turned back towards the guardian dragon, worry plainly visible on his face.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Mon Aug 02, 2010 7:36 pm

Silverwing's ears pricked as he listened to the explanation from the elf as to why the oak tree was so important. It was obvious he was holding back on details but who could blame him? A stranger wanders in, and you tell them all your secrets? No, it doesn't work like that.
But for now, he had to move. He had been in sight of the general public for too long. If he needed to rest, he would do it in private. Someplace where he could hear himself think.

Taking a deep breath, he heaved himself up onto all three of his good legs, the forth one hanging limp, hovering a few inches above the ground. He turned his head to the elf next to Freki and stared at him with his piercing eyes. "If you're making me rest, then I need some place that can fit me in." His voice was hoarse and pained, but he tried to hide it.
The elf returned the dragons gaze with a stare of his own.
"And we have just that, but it's quite a walk away..."
Silverwing grunted, half trying to get his voice to sounds normal, but it didn't work. He then looked at the semi-cirle of huts he was nearby. They seemed quiet, and there were no lights coming from inside them.
"Are these occupied?"
"No, not at the minute."
"Then do you mind if I lie within the circle, for tonight?"
The elf straightened his back and looked over to the huts. He was taken aback by the sudden request, but after a quick second, he understood why the dragon would rather sleep outside than inside when it involved a long walk. Well, a pained walk.
"Of course, that is fine. Do you require anything else?"
Silverwing shook his head, "no thank you."
With that, Silverwing began to hobble his way slowly towards the invisible circle that had been made by the huts. Whilst doing so, he shot Freki a quick look, hinting for him to follow him out of the corner of his eye.
He returned his gaze to the path in front of him that he had to follow. Hoping no one was watching him in great detail. "I need to speak to you." He said briefly, but sternly. He had to know what Freki was going to do. Either they split paths here, which was the wisest choice and the choice he hoped he would choose, or her went with him. If he chose to step in, there was no going back.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Thu Aug 05, 2010 9:35 am

Contemplating the dragon, Freki wondered how much damage the slaying of the oak tree – he could almost only see it like that at this moment in time – had really done to the elves. Even to someone who appreciates nature for what it can give you, it was a pity, but if the tree meant so much to the elves, Freki couldn’t imagine how painful this loss actually was for them. The more he thought about it, the more the resolve grew within him that he had to find out who did this, who was responsible for this. A deed like this could simply not go unpunished. Not only did they, whoever they were, severally hurt a guardian dragon, which was a rather important dragon to the island, despite the fact that Freki didn’t know about them, and on top of it, they’re the cause for the elves’ grief and loss of a fantastic creature of nature. If that wasn’t already enough, Freki felt that he needed to repay the kindness the elves had shown them by healing them and taking them under their wing for the oncoming night.

As Silverwing looked at him, Freki quietly nodded in response, silently acknowledging the dragon’s request. He was relieved that they allowed Silverwing to remain not too far from where they were now, anything else would have put too much of a strain on his injuries, healed or not, it was all too fresh to push his strength reserves to the limit. Following a seemingly silent request from the healer elves, every other being left the guardian and Freki in peace, in silent accord abandoning the circle of huts where they were going to rest, disappearing to do whatever it was the elves were doing here. Freki thanked the elves for everything, who in turn smiled at him and then walked away, and the young man quickly followed Silverwing down the tiny path.

“What is it you want to talk about?” he quizzed, even though he could imagine what the guardian wanted to speak about. Now that the most important thing, ridding themselves of weakening injuries, was done, they’d have to figure out what to do next. Yet, he left it up to Silverwing to begin talking, since he didn’t know what to say himself. Looking around for somewhere comfortable to sit, he walked over to the hut in the very centre of the circle and sat down on a patch of moss, hoping that would give him enough cushioning to sit and lie on for a couple of hours, since the forest floor wasn’t always the gentlest mattress. Then he simply sat looking at Silverwing, waiting for the dragon to get comfortable and finally ease all of his pain.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:07 pm

Silverwing lowered his body to the round, his injured leg straight out to his side. It took a few seconds before he finally got comfortable, well, as comfortable as possible in his current state. He lowered his head down to look at Freki, his eyes serious and for the moment, unblinking.
“I need to know”-he began-“what you’re going to do.” He paused, not knowing how he should talk to this human. Whether to tell it to him straight, and scare him of the facts so that he wouldn’t want to tag along with him, or to let him understand and decide for himself. But then again, maybe it was best if he just it to him straight. After all, he didn’t really want Freki with him. Not because he didn’t like him or thought he’d get In the way, but because if he did come, then the chances of him getting back alive were very slim. The human wasn’t a part of this, and it was probably for the best, bringing him along would only involve his life into something he’d best stay out of. He knew of so many humans who had gotten them accidentally tangled up into a situation they couldn’t get out of, and it had changed their lives. The difference was, Freki had a choice. He could either choose to get away from all of this and live a normal life, or threaten his existence over the next few days…or however long it took. Silverwing only hope he would choose to walk away, a choice so many others now wished they had taken.

“I got attacked,” he continued “in the forest, for I found out some information I shouldn’t have, That information…” he stopped and looked around quickly to make sure nobody was nearby. “Basically, the island is under a threat, it’s in danger of getting wiped out completely. There’s this…man, a sorcerer who is different from the rest, he found out that a certain stone on the island holds enough power to aid his dreams in taking over this place. The thing is, he’s the only one who knows where it is…and now me. I need to get it before he reaches it, otherwise it’ll be catastrophic for everyone.” Again, he paused. He knew that this man wanted the Cove for his own, and if the people wouldn’t obey, then he would have it destroyed, he had known it for a while. But only recently had he become a threat when he found out about the stone.
“If you come with me, you risk killing yourself. He put it bluntly. “But if you leave now, you have the chance to live a normal life and get away from all of this. Be with your friends and family for the rest of your life. But I don’t know if I can stop this, I don’t know if I can beat this man alone.” He looked deep into Freki’s eyes, trying to read his emotions, to have a guess at what he was thinking. “But if you come with me, there’s no going back.”

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:54 am

In a way, it must be awkward for him to constantly keep bending his head to be able to look at the people he is talking to, Freki silently mused as he observed the guardian get comfortable and then look at the young gardener. Silverwing cut straight to the chase, which left Freki a little breathless at first, but it was the best way to go truly. There was no need to soften the edges and put cherries on top. Freki blinked briefly at the mention of the island being completely destroyed, a thought he did not appreciate very much, but he listened intently to the guardian dragon’s words until the latter had completely finished what he had wanted to say. As Silverwing stared into Freki’s eyes, the latter silently stared back, contemplating, even though – oddly – he had already made his choice before the dragon had begun speaking.

“Live a normal life?” Freki almost laughed at how ridiculous this sounded. “Do you realise my life will never go back to normal if they find out I helped you, even more so when they already know I did? If I were to go back now and be with friends and family, then none of them would be safe.” Letting his head hang low for a while as he considered the actual implications of what both of them had just said, he grew sad. There really was no other way out of this. He would have to go along with Silverwing and do the best he could to help the dragon, even if the little things he could do would really not be a lot and seem even more meaningless, he simply had to try. For the sake of his loved ones, for the elves, for Dragon’s Cove and most of all, for himself. He had decided he wanted to find whoever did this awful thing to the oak tree, and he did not want to go back on his word now, even if it had only been a thought in his own mind nobody else knew about. “I am coming with you. Even if it means I will never get back out.” A shudder went down his spine as he said this. For someone as fearful and weak as Freki, this was quite the change of lifestyle, but when he considered the alternatives of maybe there soon being no more Dragon’s Cove, or being hunted and having to hide… why not for a change try the full-frontal path? He had been avoiding everything all his life, and after all, he had gone out into the world to change exactly that. Well, this is my opportunity. A definitely life-changing one and he was scared shitless, but he wanted to do this, even though he might regret the decision at a later stage.

“So this stone… That is going to be our first step?” he looked back at Silverwing as he said this, the choice of his decision now firmly rooted in his expression. He was sure, or at least as sure as someone like him could ever be.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Mon Dec 20, 2010 12:01 pm

Freki’s response somewhat shocked him, for he didn’t believe he was the type of man to risk everything in order to help a stranger. But then again, now that he thought about it, he had only known this man for a short amount of time, so he wasn’t really one to judge. He knew all to well that you shouldn’t judge someone by their appearance or their first actions. He had learnt this when he first made a bond with his rider, Sandy, which seemed so long ago now. He was half glad that she wasn’t here with him now, for even though he knew she would go for anything that was thrown at her, he hated putting her in danger, or anyone for that matter. But it came with the role.
His eyes focused down upon the gardener once more after waving slightly at the thought of his rider. He reminded him of her. His courage and sheer determination.

“The future is for you to set.” He began, turning his head to look at the sky to the left. The sun had vanished completely now, and it wouldn’t be long before the moon reached it’s highest point in the sky. It reminded him that he should get some rest, for now he did actually feel like his limbs were heavy irons, even though the ground was holding up his body instead. He closed his eyes, but his head still remained pointing up to the sky. He could practically almost feel the glow of the moon on him
“If you go now, they may never find out you helped me, and your family will be safe. You don’t have to feel like you need to help me. Do you really want your peaceful life to change now?” He had made the speculation that his life was peaceful, but then again, he thought that about everyone. For compared to his own life, everyone else’s was. He opened his eyes again and returned his head and gaze back to Freki. He evaluated his expression closely; trying to imagine what was going through his mind. He had said some bold words for someone like him; if he really were going to stay true to his word and go with him, then he would soon find out how brave this man really was. “I won’t stop you,” he said plainly. “This is your choice.” He knew that if Freki died in the process, he would feel wholly responsible for it, but what could he do? If he really wanted to, he would force the man back, but a part of him wanted him to come along. Maybe this was his chance. For every now and again, he knew how important it was for someone to be given the chance to make a difference. And right now, that was what he was doing for Freki. He knew he couldn’t take it away from him, no matter how dangerous the path ahead was.

He nodded slowly. “Yes, we need to go to it before...someone else does.” As of now, he didn’t feel he should burden Freki with anymore information about the magician and the like. Now was not the time. “But for now, I need to heal. We should try and get to it as soon as possible, but we need to be at full strength when we reach it, otherwise we will jeopardize everything. Oh, and Freki.” He narrowed his gaze upon the man. “You must do everything I say. If I tell you to run and leave me, you must do so. My life is not important compared to what damage may be done if you don’t listen.” A bit harsh, but he had to get it into his head. He wasn’t going to allow some stupid little rescue missions when they

were most likely to fail. Not when they were toying with something as big a this.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:07 pm

Freki looked back at Silverwing as the guardian dragon looked at him before turning his large eyes skywards, knowing that he was not too pleased with the gardener’s reply of putting himself in danger so recklessly, but Freki really did not see another way. Die trying or die doing nothing. Then the first option definitely seemed the better choice, even for someone like Freki. “They might be safe for the time being but what if you fail? Then there will be no peace or safety for anyone,” Freki spoke very lowly in reply. “Knowing what I have learned in the past few hours, I cannot go back and pretend everything is alright when every second I would be scared of someone coming after me or Dragon’s Cove falling into destruction. No,” he shook his head, “I cannot go back. My life may have always been peaceful and I may be a coward but I have always given everything to be there for others and if helping you is the one way I can make sure that my loved ones are going to be safe, then that is what I have to do. Plus,” he added with a small smile, “I wanted my life to change into something more exciting. What better opportunity than this?” he joked, hoping that Silverwing would not be furious at this, seeing that the situation was slightly more serious and not really something to be joking about.

Freki silently accepted that Silverwing did not want to divulge any more information for tonight and it was actually getting late, for both of them needed rest. He acknowledged the guardian dragon’s final words before he headed off with a solemn look on his face and a nod, but they both knew that depending on the situation Freki might not do exactly as told, though obviously he would try, seeing that Silverwing was the more experienced one.

It did not take long for Freki to fall asleep, his body and mind were exhausted from the day’s events. Everything had started out in such a nice green, very green place with happy little flowers spiking the greenery here and there, with sunlight flooding over the scenery to make it shine like a work of art. Now, that memory had been tainted with the dark knowledge that Dragon’s Cove was in grave danger and that they had this whole mission ahead of them which might or might not turn out to go as planned. Nevertheless, despite everything he had on his mind, the gardener soon slept soundly, a dreamless and recovering sleep that lasted until mid-morning when he suddenly woke with a start at the sound of voices.

At first, he had thought he was being attacked, yet as his eyes and ears adjusted to his environment, Freki realised that nothing in the likes was happening. On the contrary, the elves were singing, in what seemed to be dramatic and sad voices, but they were celebrating. Slipping out of the little hut he had spent the night in, Freki squinted in the sunlight until his eyes adjusted and he could distinguish a large amount of elves performing some kind of dancing and singing ritual in the middle of the clearing. They all seemed to be adorned with leaves and branches of various kinds and it soon dawned on Freki that they might be mourning the loss of the tree, or celebrating.. something to do with greenery? He was not quite sure on what exactly it was, but it was fascinating to watch. Every now and then, his eyes were scanning his surroundings in search of Silverwing, though so far he could not spot the guardian dragon.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Sat Mar 12, 2011 12:20 pm

Silverwing merely blinked as Freki continued what could be the most meaningful speech of his life. Or not, who knew? He was only just quite getting to grips with the fact that he had asked a mere…gardener to help save the entire island. Freki spoke much of him being a coward, but what he had seen of him so far; he had had the spirit and heart of a thousand humans. He was peaking of risking everything in order to save people he didn’t even know. He didn’t even know what he was getting into. Yes, he had the heart and soul of a guardian rider, so taking him along may only help him develop his bold statements more. Or of course, it could prove to be hideously wrong. If so, it wouldn’t be the first time. Once before, someone had died in the assistance of Silverwing, and even for a dragon, a raging, mindless, wild beast as seen by some, it was very hard to take in. Maybe even more so for a guardian. Their job after all, was to save people. So maybe taking Freki was a big mistake, or maybe it was a great decision. Who knew?

The word fail cut into him like a knife. In the past, he had almost come to failing, and so much had been lost. So if he did actually fail, he daren’t imagine what would be the cost of it. He couldn’t help but let his tail twitch in an unnerving way. Another speech came from the man’s mouth, and Silverwing listened quietly. He knew this was a big, probably reckless decision, so he may as well speak his mind.
As he smiled however, Silverwing felt his face harden. Exciting? Opportunity? These words made him think whether the man did actually want to something better for his life, and that of the Cove, or whether it was just going to be a petty little adventure-movie he has planned out in his head as a thing to pass time. Did humans do that?

Any other time, and he would have made a comment. But now, the remaining pain in his leg and the over-whelming tiredness, which was slowly creeping over him more and more, was too much to hide away. As Freki slipped away into a little hut nearby for sleep, Silverwing stayed there until his mall frame was lost into darkness. There was no hut big enough to house him, but every now and again, sleeping beneath the stars was something he felt was required. Slowly, he shifted his body up off the ground and limped away, a lot more easily than before thanks to the help of the elves, and found a nice quiet place which seemed to be away from all the hustle and bustle of the huts. He lowered himself back down, the only indication that he wasn’t sleeping, being the fact he was staring straight up at the sky. He watched silently as they twinkled in the sky, their brilliant white glow, faint and tiny in the distance.
He felt tiny, insignificant and useless compared to all of the glowing lights above him. He felt like the sky could engulf him at any time they wanted. As if in a moment, his life could be ended, and that of the entire elves, Freki and everyone he knew and loved.
All of a sudden, he noticed the stars moving slowly to form an image. It took a few minutes before he could make out what the moving lights were doing, until they created an image, an image of a…face? He closed his eyes and shook his head before looking up again, only to see a different image. The face now looked hostile, as if it was looking directly at him. Within another blink, the stars turned a blood red, before merging once more and forming a pool of death in the sky. Moments later, they fell from the sky and Silverwing called out in panic as his body was over swept and engulfed by the red, angry stars.

Silverwing woke with a start, ready to fight off whatever would come from the sky. But to his relief, the sun was up and there were no stars in sight. It took a while for his heartbeat to calm down to a resting pace, and the adrenaline to disappear. Bad dream.
Yet he couldn’t help wonder what an earth it meant. The face, the stars joining and forming a pool of blood and not to mention, him nearly dying.
The thoughts were stripped from his mind as figures began forming not far away, and a soothing tone entered his head. The silhouettes were carrying sticks of some sort, branches, and leaves. Still shaken by the dream, it took him a small while to realise what had happened and where he was again. With the elves, and…
Silverwing stood up, trying to see what boundaries he had with his hind leg, thankful to find that it was better than the day before, but still not good enough to walk on properly. His eyes scanned the surrounding area for the man who had devoted the next stages of his life to helping him.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:45 pm

A shiver ran down Freki’s back as he watched the elves, and he quickly wrapped his arms around himself as if to protect his body against a non-existant cold, but the gesture was a comforting one more than anything else, and comfort was something Freki was in dire need of right now. Remembering the decision he had taken the previous night he was beginning to wonder whether it had not been to rash an action to take despite having meant every word he had said. It all came creeping back to him now with the memory of the broken tree poking the wounds of the fallen guardian dragon. As if on cue, the young gardener’s eyes suddenly found the form of the blue dragon, whose eyes were scanning the crowds as well. He tried to push aside any uneasy feelings he harboured and kept telling himself that it was all for the best, which was exactly why he had taken the decision. There was nothing to feel uneasy or bad about, he would be doing what he needed to do.

Lightly bobbing his head in greeting, Freki made his way to the dragon, trying to avoid the elves as much as possible so as not to interrupt the festivities by his presence. Nobody seemed to notice him weaving his way towards Silverwing and he was quite pleased with this fact. Even if this was a very special event which probably did not occur very often, Freki was not part of their community and he somehow felt like he was disrupting it by simply being there, even though this wasn’t the case as he soon realised. Once he was at Silverwing’s side, one of the elves that had escorted them to this place the previous day was greeting both the human and the dragon, beckoning them to join the celebration if they so wished.

Freki quickly glanced at Silverwing, wondering what the dragon thought about this. He himself was unsure whether he wanted to join or not. There was much to be discussed and the dragon’s mission was an urgent one so maybe they should not delay any further, though obviously Freki would follow Silverwing’s example. “How are you feeling today?” he finally asked. “Are your wounds still bothering you?” There were quite a few other things that Freki wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to shower the guardian dragon with questions so early in the morning, especially since they all revolved around the same thing anyway and there would be enough time to ask anything else during the coming hours or even days, or so he figured.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:15 pm

Silverwing’s eyes gradually narrowed on a small man, not elf, weaving his way in and out of the celebrating beings. Rather uncomfortably, by the looks of things. Silverwing had been to a gathering like this of the elves only once before, the last one being quite different. They were mourning for the chief of the tribe, rather than a tree. He had played a more involving part, whereas in this one, he seemed very out of it. For the best, most probably. After all, it wouldn’t look good to mourn for a sacred tree, with an injured guardian. They would undoubtedly see it as a bad omen. He was positioned quite far away from everything anyway. No need to suddenly get involved. Although this didn’t become apparent as an elf wandered over to him and Freki.

The elf beckoned them both, though Freki more, for obvious reasons, to join in with the celebration. Silverwing watched, to see what the man would do, and wasn’t surprised as he turned to look to him for his opinion and advice. If he wanted to help, then he would have to learn to be more assertive and independent. Because there may come a time when the man must fend for himself. He can’t forever rely on the person, or creature in this case, by his side. But the time would come, and now wasn’t the appropriate moment to discuss those matters, if they were to be discussed at all.

The obvious conversation was suddenly changed however, as Freki asked him how he was holding up. Whether he told him how he really was, and put even more doubt and worry onto the human’s mind, or say an outline, was a decision in itself.
“Much better after the elves helped us.” He paused, taking a quick glance at the elf beside them, still waiting to see if they wanted to participate with the gathering. “I can just about walk, so don’t worry about me. How about yourself?”
He nodded quickly to the elf, before speaking again. “You can join in if you wish, Freki.” He said simply. He need not remind him of the time they had, or the importance of they got where they needed to be. But maybe this could be the very last peaceful event he ever attend, and he didn’t want to deprive it of the man.
He flicked his eyes to the rising sun, watching for a few seconds as it slowly crept up across the sky. A sight barely noticeable to humans.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:14 pm

Freki’s eyes regularly wandered back to the celebrating elves and he couldn’t help but wonder whether this wouldn’t be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Who could ever say they had celebrated with elves, or even been so close to a whole clan of them, being included in their daily lives, even if it was just so their injuries could be tended to. It was quite something, the gardener had to admit and would it not have been rude to refuse their invitation anyways, would it?

First however, he waited for Silverwing’s response, not wanting to appear rude and leave shortly after asking a question without waiting for the answers. “I am glad to hear it,” Freki replied, with a small smile playing on his lips, though he noticed that the guardian dragon had successfully evaded the real answer. Feeling better than before did not necessarily imply that all was well, certainly not in this particular case as the dragon had taken quite a fall. “I am quite well, thank you. Worried and still a little tired, but I cannot complain.” Freki tried to lighten the mood with a few stupid words but he actually felt stupid saying them rather than lighthearted at having attempted a joke. Lightly blushing at this, he turned away to hide his face while Silverwing spoke to the elf and the gardener abruptly forgot about his misstep when the guardian invited him along even though he himself was not going to join.

After contemplating Silverwing’s words for a moment longer, he finally decided to indeed pick up his feet and join the elves in their festivities. He regularly glanced back to the dragon however while he was being whirled around with the elves, easily falling into step with them as they were dancing around. Some of the children had taken it upon them to guide him through everything and it made it all very easy and not quite as embarrassing as it might otherwise have been without knowledge whatsoever of their customs and the steps, and without any real skill when it came to dancing in a whole. It was rather exhausting as well even though it was quite an exhilarating experience and after a while, which had expanded to be a few hours, Freki was in desperate need of a bit of rest. Thus, he took some of the food he was offered and stole his way out of the crowds to be quieter, looking about for Silverwing, unsure of whether the dragon was still in the same spot as before. Having been whirled around for so many times, the young man felt a tad dizzy and wasn’t quite sure in which direction he should be looking in, even less remembering which direction the guardian had been sitting in earlier that day.

Subject: Re: An Epic Return (Monty X Eldarwen) Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:49 pm

Silverwing could see clearly the temptation lingering in Freki’s eyes, but the politeness of staying to talk rather than running off was a trait that very few people had. This only solidified the trust in the man further. As he spoke however, Silverwing had to suppress a frown from appearing over his face. Of course the man would be worried about what was to come, but anyone else wouldn’t have stated the obvious. So perhaps he was holding more worry than expected. But at the same time, how could one guess at what another person was feeling...especially a human.
He merely nodded at Freki’s pleasing response of being well, but not so pleasing mention of being tired. Silverwing had learned how important it was to take on whatever rest you may find, and use it to the maximum. For they may not rest again for another several days. The few humans he had come into a large amount of contact with could vary their energy, but it wasn’t a trait that everyone possessed, apparently. Just as long as the gardener could keep up, and realise when it was important to sleep, when not to and when it was time to act, then their mission wouldn’t be so distantly do-able after all.

As he quickly scuttled off to join in with the festivities with the elves, Silverwing sat watching for a short while. The man seemed to be enjoying himself quite a lot, oddly scuffling around with the other creatures, falling in and out of place and most of the time, looking like a fish out of water. But no one seemed to care, and neither did Freki, which was the main thing. As long as he was getting the last little remedies of fun left, then no one should care.

Not long after, Silverwing turned around and walked slowly away from the energetic land. Unnoticeably, to his relief. Carefully, he limped his way through the trees and followed his own scent back to where he and Freki had first encountered the elves. The clearing just before the lake seemed a somewhat sorry site. He gazed over to where he and Freki had emerged from the water and pulled themselves up onto the bank. It seemed as no one had been here since, which was good. There was no sign of being followed since the first crash of the tree, and therefore if anything was looking for him, then they weren’t successful. Not yet, anyway.

A sudden roar from the distance made his blood turn to ice, however. He wasn’t sure whether he recognised the call from elsewhere, or whether it was just him being stupid. Either way, he didn’t like it. Slinking back into the cover and shadows of the trees, he was shocked to see a few seconds later, a flash of green move across the sky. The same flash of green that helped aid his crash into the tree. Yes, they were looking for them, and they had come a lot further than he would first have thought.
Finally sure that he was out of site and the green dragon had finished circling the area, he moved as quickly as he could back to the main siting of the elves. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, until he found Freki moving across the crowd. Thankfully, he had finished his part in the celebration.
“Freki.” He called, not able to cover the urgent tone buried within it.

» The Golden Egg (Monty and Eldarwen - oneXone)
» (Monty) Title? We Don't Even Know. (Katz)
» Trouble on the Isle. (For Monty and Ariel.)
» A Long Lost Find (One Time Special With Kevv and Sandy)
» /-/-/ The Rescue Mission Of A Life Time /-/-/ (Monty and Nox)