{Spirit} guess this'll be untitled, then... {Katz}

Dawn looked up in surprise as Jackdaww approached, having been so focused on trying to get the fire started that she had not heard him. "Sure," she agreed quietly, watching him fix her fire. Aha, that did work a lot better. "You are right, I will have to remember that," she replied, waiting until he had moved back before creating more sparks and lighting a small fire. It was not that big, but Dawn knew it would be sufficient. As long as it was warm that was all she cared about. And even if it failed at that she could always go over and sleep under one of Taya's wings. That would keep her quite warm. "I take it you spend a lot of time outside," Dawn commented to Jackdaww, especially considering how quickly he had gotten it set up.

"Good," Taya said, rolling her head to one side slightly so that the sky was reflected in one large eye. "I like studying the stars. I know they are just other planets and things like that, but they are quite mysterious at the same time." She could not quite help but think they might not be as easily explained as that, for how could the scientists really know? It was not as though they could actually go there or anything like that, though they could be seen through telescopes.

“You could say that, yeah.” Jackdaww smiled, sitting back on his heels as the fire grew up inside the wooden frame. “About thirteen and a half years, give or take however long I’ve spent picking up supplies.” Had it really been that long? It had – he knew it had, but it still seemed impossible. However, it had to be said that his life before the forest did seem like a lifetime ago. How things had changed.

“What about you?” he said, trying not to let his thoughts wander. “Or are you more of a city-girl?” Dawn hadn’t looked like she’d been in town long when he met her, so he figured she probably moved around a bit, but he had no idea how much. He doubted she was as much of a wonderer as he was, but then again, he knew next to nothing about her so far.

Measle raised an eyebrow-ridge curiously. “I didn’t know that – I never knew they were anything but little sparkly bits. They feel like magic…” he said, his voice fading as his eyes picked out the stars. He could find the north-pointing arrow-star, but that was about all he recognised. “What else do you know about the sky then?” he asked. Taya seemed knowledgeable – more so that Measle, and he was curious.

The woman felt as though she had already known the answer to the question before she had asked, and so nodded simply, though she now wondered how old Jackdaww was. He did not seem that old, but perhaps he was if he had been out in the wilderness for so long. Naturally it depended on when he had been forced into the woods, but the math simply did not seem to add up to her. "May I ask how old you are?" she asked quietly, aware of what a personal question it was but also knowing he did not have to answer if he felt uncomfortable with it.

"It has been at least three years," Dawn replied, thinking about it for a minute. She could not remember exactly when she had left her home, but it had been a while it seemed. "No I am definitely not a city-girl," she added, a faint smile flickering at the corners of her mouth. "I am really not one for crowds or lots of noise," Dawn explained. "And tight spaces are even less fun. You may think I am foolish or easily frightened, which I am, but something about them just makes me feel so uncomfortable."

"Actually I found Taya in the mountains not far from my home before I left. She is not much for cities either, though she gets along with people far better than I do," Dawn continued, indicating her Antler dragon with a slight motion of her hand. "So we work well together."

"Sometimes I find it very hard to believe," Taya replied with an amused chuckle, scanning the sky for any sign of the stars, whatever they might be. "I know it is very wide, and that the earth is round," she added jokingly. "And I also heard that if you fly high enough, way up into the air where it is almost impossible to breathe and it is very cold, you can see the curve of the earth." She had never tried to prove it herself, nor did she think she ever would, but it sounded like an amazing sight. "Oh, and the moon causes the waves of the ocean," Taya added suddenly, the only other thing she could think of right away.

Jackdaww smirked at the question, and sat back, enjoying the warmth from the small fire and relaxing into the darkness. “Of course you can ask. I’m twenty-seven – left home when I was fourteen. And there’s nothing foolish about it at all – I’m not much of a fan myself. They don’t spook me so much – I like to think that takes some doing, but Measle’ll tell you I’ve got ‘foolish’ down to a fine art.” He grinned, looking out past the fire to double check their surroundings – making sure they were really safe for the night. Nights never stopped being dangerous out in the wild, and no matter how well you can defend yourself in daylight, there’s nothing you can do if you’re attacked in your sleep.

“Ha, that sounds about right – Measle’s the better talker out of the two of us too. It’s funny how things like that work out, isn’t it?” Jackdaww laughed, glancing over at the dragons, and then shaking his head in amusement.

Measle, meanwhile, was watching Taya with wide-eyed fascination. He was the brains out of him and Jackdaww, but the truth was he didn’t know anything he’d never learnt, and the middle of the woods wasn’t the best place to learn stuff about the stars and the sky. “That’s… wow. I had no idea it was so, oh, I don’t know, big.” He laughed, still clearly quite puzzled by the whole affair. “Flying that high sounds really dangerous though – I don’t think I could ever manage it.” He added. Even if he was big enough to fly that high, he was a terrible flier, so he got out of breath just trying to clear the treetops. It annoyed him, but hey, there was nothing he could do about it – especially with so few chances to practise with Jackdaww to look after.

Dawn relaxed as well, seeing that Jackdaww was and seeing no point in remaining worried about the woods around her with Taya keeping an eye on things. She had yet to see a creature willing to take on a dragon for its meal. No doubt they would be left alone by the forest dwellers. Ah, he was older than she had originally thought, and a few years older than she was. Not that surprising really, she wasn't all that old. "I am just twenty-three," she replied softly. "So you certainly have more experience with the world than I do." Which could be a good or bad thing now that she thought about it.

She laughed softly at his honestly. "Well you can ask Taya, not that she'll say anything the sweet dragon, but I'm the clumsiest person you will ever meet. I have tripped over air before on many occasions. I suppose she would also say I am not very... open to people. Emotionally I mean. That would probably be her biggest complaint, besides my tendency to trip over everything and get into all sorts of trouble somehow."

"It really is," she agreed, following his gaze over to the pair. "They seem to be getting along well enough," she commented. "Then again I have never seen Taya have a problem getting along with someone."

Taya chuckled slightly in agreement. "It is mind boggling to think about. I cannot even fathom how someone could figure it out. Perhaps it is nothing but hearsay but I like to think that it is true." After thinking about it for a moment the Antler nodded. "I would not want to try honestly. I do not have that kind of bravery." If it was necessary perhaps, but not just for fun. And not just because she was afraid to. Taya did not want to leave Dawn all alone in case something happened to her. "Besides that I would make a fool out of myself when I could not get any higher than an eagle," Taya added with a grin, having actually tried to outclimb one of the birds once and failing miserably. She had been rather young at the time but still, it had won by a large margin.

Jackdaww smiled, looking over the fire again. “Well, that’s only four years difference, but yes, I’ve had a bit more experience in that case. You’d be surprised by how little it helps.” He laughed, shifting around so that his feet were closer to the fire, warming up. He snorted with laugher a moment later though, at dawn’s comment about being ‘the clumsiest person’.

“You’d have to fight me for that title – just ask Measle. I trip over at least once a day without fail, usually for no good reason. I mean, sometimes it’s the walls – they just run into me, but I have quite an intimate relationship with the ground apparently.” He chuckled, finding the strength-of-will to laugh at his own expense, despite how much it hurt his ego.

“It’s nice that they’re getting on though – I sometimes feel sorry for Measle, stuck with me instead of around other dragons. He doesn’t really meet many others.” Jackdaww said, feeling momentarily guilty about that fact. However, it wasn’t his fault that the dragon had knocked him out the day he had hatched, so he soon managed to convince himself it was fine.

Measle nodded as Taya’s words, oblivious to the two humans. “I’ll make up my mind later – for now I’m sticking with my ‘shiny sparkles’ theory.” He chuckled, deciding not to hurt his head thinking about it. He listened intently to Taya’s embarrassing little story, smiling in mild amusement. “Don’t worry about it – I doubt I could out climb a sparrow, let alone an eagle.” He laughed, trying to imagine the scene. He couldn’t quite manage it – dragons racing birds was all just a bit bizarre for his liking.

"Yes it is not that much of a difference," Dawn agreed with a slight smile. "Oh really? I would have thought that would be a great deal of help but I guess I was wrong. Perhaps I did not miss anything then. That is good." She was more amused by him than anything else, not to mention amazed by the fact they were getting along so well. Then again it was not that hard for her to get along with people, considering she did not talk much and let them lead the conversations. Unless they spoke just as little as she did. Then things got awkward.

"I think that would be the shortest lived fight this world has ever seen before," Dawn replied with a quiet laugh. "I have no battle skills whatsoever." She could not help but smile at him as he made fun of himself, impressed by his ability to do so. Most men she had met could not have done that, their egos would never have allowed it. It gave her a little more respect towards him to see that. "I have found that the air seems to hate me. It likes to trip me a lot," she replied. "Either that or my feet will go out from under me. I have no idea why. It is odd to me when I think about it, how many people are so graceful and then people like me have a difficult time just staying upright."

Dawn looked back at the pair of dragons for a moment, wondering what they were talking about. "It is nice, and I know what you mean. Taya was so free when I found her... it is a miracle we get along so well really. Though perhaps odd is a better word. She has to look out for me so much, I am not sure where I would be right now if she did not." Probably in a hospital somewhere, as much trouble as she seemed to get into that Taya was then forced to get her out of. "She says she loves me though so I suppose Taya does not mind too much."

"I would stick with it as well," the Antler replied with a chuckle. "I certainly have no idea if it is the truth." Magic certainly sounded like a better explanation than hers, if only in practicality. What she knew was founded upon things no one could really prove. Annoying yes but not really her problem. "I think I would have had better luck with the sparrow," she commented. Dragons may have been built for flight just as much as birds were, but it seemed that the smaller creatures had the upper hand when it came to such things.

“The air can be a real pain in the backside, yeah.” He laughed. He was surprised at himself for being able to laugh so freely – he was usually as bound by his ego as any man, but somehow it was easier to open up to someone as quiet as Dawn. It also helped that she didn’t seem to hold his clumsiness against him, since it was so much easier to refuse conversation with someone feeling judgemental.

“When I met Measle, he was only about this big,” he said, measuring out about two inches between his fingers, “so I don’t think either of us knew what he was like yet.” Jackdaww shrugged. He used to wonder what sort of life Measle would have had if they had never crossed paths, but he had given it up as a pointless practise some time ago. “I’m sure Measle liked me really, but I think it would kill him to admit it.” He added, almost envious of the easy relationship Dawn and Taya had.

Measle grinned, “Well, birds are just tricksy though – they’re much lighter. It’s like cheating.” Then, unexpectedly, he gave a yawn. “Oops, sorry, I guess I’m more tired than I realised,” He snorted, “I’ll probably have to call it a night pretty soon.” He was more of a night-dragon that a morning-dragon, but a full day sill took a lot out of him, and he was just about ready for a good sleep.

"It really can. Which is odd since we need it to survive, you wouldn't think it would be so difficult," Dawn commented, smiling as Jackdaww laughed. It was rare that she got to talk to people like this and she had to admit it was nice. Perhaps Taya had a point when she talked about the need to meet new people and make friends. Though Dawn thought that she could do without towns being set on fire to accomplish that. Well, hopefully that was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing. Hopefully.

"Aw, sounds adorable," Dawn exclaimed before she could stop herself, glancing back at the dragons and trying to imagine Measle that small. "I have never seen a baby dragon before, so I am only used to them when they are big. And sometimes highly temperamental." She could think of a few irritable dragons they had run into which had required some hasty words and a quick escape flight to get away from. Add not being eaten to the list of things they were thankful for. "I'm sure he did too with as well as you two work together," Dawn agreed, returning her gaze to Jackdaww. "You can just tell." Or maybe that was just her reading into things, who knew.

Realizing that darkness had really settled in and shadows were all around them Dawn shivered slightly, turning her eyes to the fire. The dark was not really her friend, though she could get along well enough with other people around. Left alone she would be running around wildly and screaming for help at the top of her lungs. Fortunately that was not the case, so such theatrics would probably be unnecessary. Besides, she was tired and sore from their little adventure in town. "I suppose I should try to sleep," she mused softly, seeing that Taya was settling in. "Before Taya comes over here and makes me, little mother hen that she is."

"I never thought of it that way," Taya admitted, yawning a moment later after Measle did. "Oh, me too apparently," she agreed, curling up, resting her head on her tail which was draped over her paws, though she kept an eye on Measle to signal that she was still listening. "Too much excitement for one day. I hope tomorrow is calmer." She could see no reason why it would not be, unless there was an earthquake or something like that. After all, what else could be more terrifying than almost burning up?

“Adorable? Perhaps. Annoying? Definitely. Seriously, he drove me so mad I named him after the pox.” Jackdaww laughed. However, thinking back, the little dragon that fitted into the palm of his hand or his shirt pocket had been kind of cute, in his own ruffle-scaled, know-it-all manner. “I guess I’m lucky not to have come across many big, grumpy dragons then.” He added with a light laugh. He shrugged off her comment about working well with Measle, and just stretched a little, moving his feet by the fire, where they were getting almost uncomfortably warm.

“Hmm, Measle will probably be telling me off soon too, so I guess we’d all better settle in for the night then.” Jackdaww smiled, before shifted around the fire a bit and stretching out on the ground, giving Dawn some space too. He didn’t want to intrude on her space – it wouldn’t be gentlemanly – but at the same time wasn’t about to give up a good spot by the fire.

Measle mirrored Taya’s movement, and curled up into a tight little ball, with his tail pulled up over his snout, leaving just a little gap for his eyes so he could continue speaking to Taya. “Far too much excitement. I certainly hope we don’t have to face that much trouble again for a few days.” He smirked, remembering the events of the day It had been crazy, but hopefully they could rest easy knowing that it was all out of the way for now.

((feel free to timeskip to morning now – up to you ^^))

Dawn woke up cold, and she was not sure if it was because she had moved away from the fire some time during the night or if the fire had simply dwindled enough that she could not feel it anymore. It seemed that it was a little bit of both when she finally stirred and looked around, finding herself a couple of feet from a severely banked fire. Well, at least it hadn't gone out. That would have been really bad. So she slowly and quietly started to add sticks to it, hoping not to wakt the others up by doing so, and watched as the little fire slowly grew, smiling faintly when she began to feel the heat again. It was chilly in the mornings, at least to her, especially when the fury bulk of Taya was not beside her. It was difficult to be cold with a giant dragon nearby, though at the moment she was too far away to do her rider any good.

As though able to sense that her rider was thinking of her Taya woke, blinking one eye open lazily to scan her surroundings, lifting her head only when she saw that Dawn was awake. The woman quickly put a finger to her lips, glancing at Jackdaww and Measle who she thought were still asleep, though she could not be certain. Taya simply rolled her eyes in response and Dawn smiled, knowing the Antler had known better than to speak out. She couldn't help it though, it was habit. At least she could move around if she so chose, Taya was more or less stuck in place until the others woke up. She wasn't exactly light on her feet. Well, that wasn't true, she was as light upon them as a dragon like her could be. If she was smaller, like Measle, it would be a lot easier. And Taya had to admit that sometimes she wished she was smaller. Then again, there were times when her size had saved her, not to mention her rider. Things had a tendency to work out in the end.

And so they smiled at each other, waiting patiently for signs of life from the forest and their camp.

Jackdaww woke up quickly – his usual training routine had him up at dawn to practice, and on top of that he was quite a morning person. He was soon on his feet, stretching off after the night’s sleep. Measle however, was a little more reluctant to wake. Unlike his human, he was /not/ a morning person, and would quite happily sleep until noon.

“Good morning, Dawn, Taya.” Jackdaww smiled broadly once his had finished clicking his back. Then, checking the sky to judge roughly what time it was, he walked over to Measle and gave his a gentle but firm kick in the ribs. The dragon groaned and rolled over, growling slightly, but finally lifted his head. “Alright, I’m awake.” He hissed, his eyes narrow and sleepy. It would take him a while to become socialable, but he was up.

“So, where to?” Jackdaww asked brightly, ignoring Measle’s protests. He didn't like to hang about long, and even with his burns he was itching to get off somewhere. He knew they were headed vaguely towards the next city, and he knew the fastest route just about, but it was always fun to check out a few bits of forest on the way.

"Good morning," Dawn replied softly, stretching her arms over her head to get the kinks out of her back. She was still tired from the day before, even though she had slept rather well, more so than she usually did in fact. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the rather odd way Jackdaww woke Measle. Or perhaps it is just odd to me, Dawn decided, getting up and going over to Taya who was grooming her wings and making sure all the feathers were settled properly. Reaching up to scratch between her dragon's antlers, Dawn considered Jackdaww's question. "Well you know this place better than I do," she replied with a slight shrug, "So it's your call. I suppose we don't have to go directly to the next city either. Taya and I don't mind wandering the countryside. We do it often enough anyway." Taya chuckled and nodded slightly, moving on to cleaning the tuft on the end of her tail while Dawn headed over to Jackdaww and Measle. "I think we should eat before we head out though, or at least eat on the road," she finished.

She didn't really want to go hiking through the forest without having eaten anything, and she had some dried fruits and meat in her saddlebags so it wasn't a big deal to her to walk and eat at the same time. It was one of the few things she could manage to do simultaneously. "Anyway, which way do you want to go?" Dawn wasn't really looking for another adventure, but she had a feeling they were going to end up having one whatever she wanted or did. "I guess we ought to stay out of towns and things like that for a day or two, I don't want to run into another fire or something like that and I have a feeling the refugees from that city back there are going to be heading straight towards the next town so things will be pretty crowded." She would rather be chased through the forest by a bear than be stuck in a crowd, that was for sure.

Measle moved towards Taya slightly, scowling at Jackdaww for waking him up, but acting politely other than that. He was not a morning person, and had probably needed the kick in the ribs to wake him, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it. “Oh very well, thanks.” He said in a husky morning voice to Dawn as she asked, not sure if he had been included in the question but answering anyway.

“Yes, I slept well too.” Jackdaww beamed, before nodding thoughtfully. “I know a few nice river spots – I might even be able to find a good waterfall along the way if you like.” He announced, looking around to get a bearing. The sun was filtering through the leaves nicely, so he could at least tell which way was east.

“Ah yes, breakfast!” Measle grinned, waking up at the suggestion of food. Jackdaww laughed, “Oh yes, I’d almost forgotten about that. Yes, we had really better eat. I’ve got a few pies from that market, and maybe some sausages if you fancy a bit of meat, but our bread is about a month old now.” He said, remembering that he hadn’t had the chance to pick up a fresh loaf before the untimely fire in the market square.

“Oh we wouldn’t stop at a town this soon anyway – they lose their novelty if you stick around in them too long.” Jackdaww added, before grabbing his small-ish leather pack and rummaging around for the spoils from the market.

Taya lowered her head slightly to peer at Measle as he shifted towards her, angling her head slightly so that she could see both him and her rider when Dawn spoke. "Your wake-up seems to have left a little to be desired however," the antler dragon commented with amusement, barely resisting the urge to smirk. She certainly wouldn't have put up with it as well as Measle was, though clearly he was used to it. When Dawn came over to scratch her head she gave her a look that clearly said not to get any ideas about waking her up on the days she decided to be lazy. "I am glad you both are doing well though," she finished, speaking before Dawn had the chance to.

"Oh yes, a waterfall would be lovely," Dawn replied, actually looking a little excited for once. She loved seeing scenery like that, just loved it! Unfortunately now that she had Taya to fly her around everywhere she seldom got the chance to wander around in the woods where waterfalls were likely to be. (Of course having her own dragon taxi service was a wonderful thing, but it did have its drawbacks.) "And considering there is no rush to get anywhere I don't mind wandering around," she finished. At least as long as they stuck together and didn't get lost.

Dawn had to wonder how the pair had forgotten about food. She had heard that eating was one of the things men thought about all the time, but apparently she was wrong. Interesting... "Well I'll pass on the bread, but I will take one of those pies if you don't mind; I believe I have some fruit in Taya's saddlebags. It might be a little beaten up but it should still be good," Dawn mused as she combed through the aforementioned bags. She smiled when Jackdaww mentioned that they shouldn't stop in a town anytime soon, thankful that he apparently wasn't a city boy. "Well I certainly don't have any complaints about that," she commented with evident relief.

"Yes, I know how much you just love being around crowds of people," Taya replied with a snicker, just to get her rider to grin at her as well. "The novelty wore off for her a long time ago," the antler explained to Jackdaww. "She's not much for people. Wasn't before I met her even."
"I grew up away from civilization," Dawn put in as she pulled out the bag of fruit and set it beside her. "So I got used to being alone with lots of wide open space. I still haven't really adjusted unfortunately." It was a hindrance really, one that she was trying to get over.

“Well it was better than some days – I’d rather a kick in the ribs than a sword being drawn by my ear.” Measle smiled, shaking off his sleepiness and stretching. “Why, thank you – you too.” he replied to Taya, before turning his attention to the days plans (which he assumed Jackdaww would decide shortly).

“Well, I’m glad you like the idea – it’s just…” Jackdaww paused, turning round in a circle to see all the paths, before settling on one and continuing, “down this way!” Jackdaww wasn’t actually sure of the path he was pointing to would take them to the same waterfall he had meant, but there were rivers flowing near there, so they would have to reach something, and that would do. Anyway, he was pretty sure he remembered the way from the main path to the waterfall, and all paths tend to join together eventually.

Acknowledging dawn’s request, Jackdaww dug out the pies and passed one to dawn, throwing another towards Measle to catch too. He would have his on the move, as he worked up a decent appetite. He didn’t eat all that much really – he never felt he needed as much as most due to his light weight.

“Ah don’t worry about it – you’ll eventually get used to it. I hated the woods when I first moved out of Diddienne, but now it feels like home. It’s just to do with getting comfortable. I suppose a city burning down can’t help, but still.” Jackdaww grinned, understanding perfectly how difficult adapting was. It hadn’t been a fun experience for him and Measle, but they hadn’t had any other choice, such was the nature of the venture that had forced them out of the city.

Taya snorted quietly, "If someone tried that to me they'd end up without an arm or something. I don't take well to getting woken up quickly like that." It was an old leftover from being out in the wild when humans could be very dangerous to her health. Taya wasn't sure when the old instincts would bubble up again but she was fairly certain it would only be when she was sleeping. After all, Dawn had managed to sneak up on her and scare her a few times (completely unintentionally, or so she would be led to believe) and she had simply jumped and been startled, but she hadn't lashed out or anything. "Yes, it's always nice to wake up without anything pressing going on." It certainly wouldn't last for long!

Dawn blinked at Jackdaww, wondering if he was lost or if perhaps he had been bluffing when he said he knew the way to a waterfall. Well, wandering around would be okay. It wasn't as though they had anything better to do after all. However when he stopped spinning and pointed off in one direction he seemed so certain in his decision that Dawn simply went along with it, not thinking anything further of it. "You'll find we're pretty easy going," she said, nodding at Taya so that there wasn't any confusion as to who the we was. Though considering there weren't that many of them in the clearing Dawn didn't think there would be a problem. She didn't have multiple personality disorder or anything. Not as far as she knew...

"Thank you," she added upon accepting the pie from him, biting into it a little tentatively and finding it quite delicious. Taya would be able to go hunting later when she got hungry, Dawn was used to that and so didn't think anything of the Antler not asking about food. It was rare that Taya ate 'human food' as she called it, not because she didn't prefer it because it really didn't make any difference, but because it would cost too much to get that much food for her.

"Right, getting comfortable," Dawn agreed, smiling slightly down at her pie. It wasn't all that easy for her to do that unfortunately... that was what made things difficult. "It's just all the people I think. I'm not good with crowds." Granted Taya had just said that and Dawn threw her dragon a wry glance for it but it was definitely the truth. "I'm getting better with it though! But yes, having the town catch on fire certainly doesn't help things." It hadn't been as bad as it could have been since her salve had worked quite well at soothing the burn, though she still felt rather stiff and was wary of brushing her arms against anything in case they decided to hurt again. But she was making the best of things and it wasn't too bad at the moment.

“I guess I’m just used to being woken like that then – I mean, Jackdaww gets me up that way every day or near enough, and has done since I hatched. Well, when I was a hatchling he just prodded me in the ribs, or put my in his shirt pocket…” Measle trailed off, remembering waking up in that pocket when he was very young and being scared. He had been a tiny hatchling, and he couldn’t help thinking he must have left his egg too soon to end up this small as a fully grown adolescent dragon. Well, there was no changing that now, was there?

Jackdaww smiled, and nodded in return to Dawn. “Yeah, Measle and I are fairly relaxed too. I guess that’s what comes of traveling around like this, eh?” he said brightly. It was nice out in the open, away from cities – it really gave one time to clear their head. He took an inelegant bite from his pie, dripping gravy down his chin, and nodded in approval. They were still good for saying they were probably already a couple of days old for the stall owner to be giving them away like that, and a good pie was always nice.

“It took me years to stop being dependant on regular stops in towns, so I’m sure you’ll get more used to the crowds. I mean, it should be easier to adapt to the warm glow of a busy town than to the silence you get out here.” Jackdaww replied, wiping his face on his sleeve and taking another mammoth bite from his pie. Measle was always telling him to eat slowly, but he wasn’t a patient eater. He came from a background where, if you didn’t eat fast, the food went spare and was whisked away before you got to dessert, and he’d never quite gotten out of the habit of stuffing his face when given the option.

Taya shook her head slightly, unable to imagine being woken like that every day. Goodness, she’d have gone crazy long ago. Or at the very least had a conversation with her rider to make her stop that. It just wasn’t a calming way to start the day. But of course Dawn would never dream of waking her like that because she was skittish herself, so it all worked out in the end. “At least you’re used to it,” she joked, “That makes it better.” How much better she didn’t know, but it had to be easier.

“Well good, sounds like we’ll get along pretty well then,” Dawn commented, smiling slightly in response. She could adapt to just about anything, but being lead around like a person with a drill sergeant behind them wouldn’t have been fun at all. But then there was the fact that she could always jump on Taya and leave if it became necessary, but she didn’t think it would. “Traveling on your own especially,” she agreed. “When you don’t have anyone to answer to it’s easy to just chill out and do things at your own pace.” That way you didn’t have to worry about being left behind or leaving someone behind. It was easier to be alone, especially in her case, but that didn’t mean she liked it. So Jackdaww’s presence, as unexpected as it was, actually relieved her in a way because she didn’t have to pay attention all the time and she had someone to talk to that was actually human. Taya was a lovely conversationalist but sometimes the differences in their species became clear.

Dawn nibbled rather daintily at her pie while she listened to him speak, not at all bothered by his messy habits. When one didn’t eat much to start with there was no need to shovel it into ones face, but Dawn knew most people didn’t eat like she did. “You would think so,” she agreed after making sure her bite was completely swallowed. “But I guess it just depends on where and how you are raised.” Coming from the forest, Dawn personally was more comfortable there than in the crowded cities. But she could imagine that the reverse was true as well; it only made sense. “I do hope I get used to things though, that’s why I’m working on it.” Which was true, she had been spending more time than usual in cities and villages, though Taya didn’t like it because she couldn’t follow her rider into them. “Hey… are there bandits in this forest?” she asked warily, not having heard anything but wary nonetheless. She didn’t want any more trouble than they already had been.

“Oh, yeah, it’s alright really” Measle smiled, snapping his attention back to the present. “Jackdaww’s a decent guy anyway – we get on fine out here.” he added, happily looking around now that he was waking up properly.

“Yeah, getting to pick your own pace is the greatest freedom.” Jackdaww grinned, finishing the pie. It was true that the outside world was full of freedom – hell, that was one of the reasons he’d stayed out of cities for so long. Not why he’d left of course, but it was nice. He didn’t mind the silence either – Measle was all the company he needed generally. That said, having Dawn around wasn’t bad – it was kind of comforting having someone else around that wasn’t always complaining about him.

“Bandits? Oh yeah, but they usually stay away from bigger groups. Measle and I have had a few little encounters, but you don’t need to worry about it – you’re quite safe with us.” Jackdaww assured her. His right wrist had a huge, cross-shaped scar across the bone from the first time he’d been caught by some less pleasant residents of the forests, but ever since he’d stayed mostly out of danger. Nothing se4rious, just a few broken arms, one broken leg last year.

“Let me know when you want to set off and we’ll get ourselves together – I must fill up my waterskin before we leave though. I can hear a spring a way north, and the fire sort of stopped me yesterday.”

Taya could tell easily enough that Jackdaww was a good sort of person. He seemed as though he was a bit scatterbrained at times, but then who wasn't? So she had no complaints about the man or the dragon whatsoever, especially since it looked like they were going to have a very interesting trek through the forest. And as long as she was lucky she didn't think she would have a problem with getting through the trees. And if she did then she could just fly over them so it really wasn't a big deal however things went. Stretching her legs would probably a good thing considering she rarely walked anywhere. Wouldn't want them to atrophy. "That's good that you've found someone to spend time with," the antler said, looking over at the pair of humans. It was so difficult to do sometimes...

"Taya and I can spend a week or so in one spot out in the woods if we feel like it," Dawn commented, thinking of one particularly beautiful spot they had found once. It had been a little waterfall with a clear rock pool underneath it that had been so wonderful they had decided to stay for a while. At least until they ran out of food anyway. Going swimming every day and then taking a nap on the rocks wile catching some sun had been the entirety of their schedule. It had been like a little vacation in a vacation because it wasn't like they really did anything productive anyway.

"Lovely," Dawn murmured, still a little concerned despite his assurances. "Well I suppose we are a bigger group and I don't know a bandit alive that wouldn't think twice about messing with you three." Especially Taya. People tended to stay away from large dragons after all. Dawn wasn't very threatening herself but she knew how to hide and stay out of trouble, so she didn't think she would come to any harm. "I'm sure I don't have anything to worry about," she agreed, trying to convince herself at the same time as she put up a bold front. No sense in looking like a completely helpless woman if she could help it at all.

"I think we're good to go, right Taya?" she asked, glancing at her dragon as she finished off her own pie, not wanting to try to walk and eat at the same time.
"Yes, all set," Taya replied, momentarily distracted from her own conversation. "I'll need to go hunting sometime in the next couple of days but it can wait for now." She wanted to make sure they wouldn't need her assistance with anything before going off and leaving the trio alone. "So lead on my good man, I shall follow."

“Most bandits don’t mess with armed men anyway, so you’re safe enough with us.” Jackdaww smiled, stretching slightly as he looked around. He’d picked out the path they were going to take already, so it wouldn’t be a difficult morning of walking. Once the others were all ready, he set off, leading them onto a wide but unkempt pathway to their left. It sloped very slightly downhill, making it a dream to walk down so long as nobody tripped over one of the thin vines or root that had crept onto the path over the years. “We should join the river in a few hours, so we can stop for lunch then if you like.” He suggested as they walked, quite comfortable now that they were on the move.

Measle stayed near the back with Taya, watching Jackdaww carefully. For once he did seem to know which way they were going beyond a hunch, so he let the human get on with it. “There was a herd of deer here not too long ago – you can just about see the tracks in the bushes off that way, if you need something to hunt.” He offered, knowing that he too would have to go hunting eventually. He was smaller though, and could live on scraps from Jackdaww’s meals for some time yet. Or he could bring back a doe for the humans, so they had more than a few pies to eat, but again, they shouldn’t need it for while yet.

Jackdaww did have a good point come to think of it. "That's true," she agreed, relaxing finally. Besides, they weren't likely to attack in the middle of the day anyway. That was suicidal at its best with a pair of dragons and a swordsman with her. Dawn hated being the weakest link in a group but she did have her own skills as unhelpful as they were in normal situations. If they had to crawl through really small tunnels in search of treasure or something then she would actually be helpful. But not really until something like that actually happened. Which she didn't think it would anytime soon. "That sounds perfect," she agreed, thinking that lunch by the river really did sound wonderful. I should travel with other people more often she thought, wondering why she didn't. Probably because it was so difficult for her to find people that she got along with and could trust. It was hard enough getting Taya to trust people, though that was really only because Dawn had so much trouble with it.

Taya sniffed the air discretely when Measle mentioned deer, nodding slightly when she spotted the tracks. She was actually sorely tempted to go hunting, especially since she figured she could trust Jackdaww to look after her human. The Antler wasn't all that hungry but who knew when the next time she would be able to eat would come up. "I probably should," she agreed, glancing towards her rider and then shrugging slightly, figuring the woman wouldn't notice she was missing for a couple of minutes and would then just assume she was off hunting. "Hopefully I can actually hunt in the forest," she commented. If she was really lucky the deer would have moved out into a meadow or something like that, or they would be very, very stupid and she could easily keep up with them. One or the other. "Would you like to come as well or are you good?" she asked Measle, pausing as she started to turn towards the tracks.

“I’d love to.” Measle replied instinctively. In truth, he didn’t need to eat yet, and wasn’t so very fond of hunting that he would choose it over a meal Jackdaww produced for him, but he did enjoy the company. It didn’t look like the humans would be too chatty either, so there wasn't really any other choice. Plus, if he brought back his kill instead, they could make spiced steaks, which were always nice.

Measle darted off down the slightly narrower deer track first, keeping his nose low to the ground. It was easier for him to trace the track for the time being, until the path widened a bit, to keep Taya from needing to bother with the undergrowth. After all, he was much smaller, so it was easier to reach the ground. It looked like the trees thinned not too far off, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

Jackdaww lead the way carefully, making little conversation for a while, then, after a particularly tricky bit with three very sharp turns, he slowed and smiled. “The waterfall isn’t too far now – we’ll reach it either around sundown or tomorrow morning.” He explained. “So… what plans do you and Taya have after all this?” he asked awkwardly. He was terrible at small talk, having been sheltered from it for most of his life. He was trying though, which had to count for something.

Taya hadn't actually expected Measle to come along, but he was more than welcome to. Especially when he began to lead the way, making life appreciably easier for her since she didn't have to worry about getting her snout stuck in a bush or anything stupid like that while she tried to keep up with the trail. Fortunately it wasn't too long before she could move with impunity for the gaps between the trees began to widen. Taya didn't really mind closed spaces (though she probably should have all things considered) but there came a time when one got tired of watching where one stepped. Maybe they really would get lucky and the herd would be in a meadow or clearing where she could use her wings to help her hunt.

It didn't take Dawn all that long to realize her dragon wasn't behind her anymore. She wasn't so easily distracted as that. But she knew Taya would be back soon and so thought nothing further of it. She also, remarkably, wasn't all that concerned about Jackdaww not speaking to her, figuring he was just busy concentrating on the path or wasn't that much of a talker anyway. "Sounds good," she said softly when he did finally speak, returning his smile. "I don't know. We'll probably just keep on doing what we have been doing: wandering around and seeing new places." One day they would find somewhere to settle down (probably with someone come to think of it. Dawn had a feeling that might be the only reason she actually would stop her wandering) and that would be the end of things, but not quite yet. "Neither of us sees much point in settling down just yet you see." Maybe they were trying to run from something, or trying to find something, or just filled with wanderlust, but whatever it was they had lived that way for years. "What about you and Measle?"

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