{Spirit & Kat} Inner-city dragon fun!

Right: we have another vague town, this one's a little colder than usual I think, and I would like it to be raining for a little bit. I hope that's ok Smile

As the rain began to pour, and people began to dash for cover, a rather damp, bedraggled lump of fur made its way out of an alley and into the oncoming rain. As it moved closer to the wall, it resolved itself into a dragon. She was a deep shade of red, and had two elegant tails trailing along behind her in the dirt, as well as what looked like the remains of a third. She hated rain – water was not her friend, and looked particularly glum as the downpour started. Turning her head swiftly, she ducked into another alley, fleeing the water falling from the sky.

Celölas – for that was the name of the dragon, dashed through alley after alley, trying to find some sort of barn to shelter in, but everywhere seemed to be locking up against the weather. Finally, looking particularly downtrodden, she found herself back in a lonely, empty square, shivering against the rain and hoping that it would stop. She knew of a hay-loft that she would be able to climb into, but that was way across town, and she wasn’t sure of the way. Better to wait for help than freeze trying, surely?

(ooc;; sorry for lame-ness - it was late xD))

Taya wandered the streets, watching the people try to continue on their way around her. While she was not huge and could actually fit in an alley she also took up a lot of the street which irritated people who were in a hurry to get home. However most of the reason the green Antler Dragon was taking up so much space was because she had her wings mostly unfolded to provide shelter from the rain to those who were walking her way and wanted to keep pace with her. She was going rather slowly, which not everyone could put up with for long.

Still, she had nothing better to do, no better place to go, and the rain did not bother her that much so she plodded along, trying to find a place that could hold her. Preferably one that actually wanted her. But then that was difficult to find, so she was simply wandering around, getting to know the town and its people.

After a few moments of shivering, a large-ish green and white shape appeared at the edge of Celölas’ vision. It was an antler dragon, and they seemed to be offering shelter to the humans in the street. She crossed her toes in the hope that the same service would be offered to her, and dashed across the street towards the dragon.

“Hi there. Mind if I…” she nodded under her wing, ducking a little so she was no larger than a human on her hind legs. She was around 9’ tall, but was quite capable of ducking.

“I’m Celölas, by the way. It’s nice to see another dragon in the area.” She said softly, smiling timidly. She was a quiet dragon – generally harmless and full of love for people. She hadn’t been in the city long – she was just trying to find a few new friends. That sounded pathetic, but it was all she wanted. Big scary dragon didn’t suit her as a title, eve if her coat /was/ the exact same colour as blood.

Taya lifted one wing slightly higher and looked under it to see who was addressing her. Seeing that it was a rather large and bedraggled dragon she nodded, withdrawing her head and looking at the dragon normally, having thought at first that a human was speaking to her. "Why certainly," she agreed. "No one needs to be out in the rain on such a day as this."

As soon as the words left her lips a cascade of water fell off of a roof and landed directly on her head, causing her to splutter and shake her head to get rid of the excess water. "My point exactly," she said with a chuckle. Not even getting doused could spoil her mood. "I am Taya," she added with a polite nod once she could safely do so without soaking everyone around her.

Celölas wasted no time in ducking under Taya’s wing and shaking herself off. Her fur poofed out hugely, and her tails returned quickly to their usual sheen. However, the stump of the third became much more visible, and Celölas began to worry at it with careful teeth.

“It’s nice to meet you, Taya.” Celölas said, once she had finished with her tail. She walked slowly and tried not to interfere with the odd humans passing under too. She felt irritable, thanks to all the water, and didn’t wish to come off as rude. “The rain really is a nuisance – I can’t stand it.” She added with a smile, even though Taya wouldn’t be able to see it.

Despite the fact that, as a shade runner Celölas usually moved very quickly, she was glad of the slow pace. It gave her time to collect her thoughts, which was a rare treat in a busy city. In fact, she decided that she might take up this business of taking leisurely strolls – just preferably not when her feet were likely to get wet.

Dawn glanced under her wing again and suppressed a chuckle at the sight of the other dragon, now looking more like a fluffy ball of fur than anything else. Returning her gaze to the street she cleared her throat quietly, fluttering her wings slightly to clear them of the gathering drops.

"Pleasure to meet you as well," Taya replied cordially. "I am rather surprised to find another dragon out in this weather, most have found some place to hide." Besides herself of course. "I agree however, I could live without the rain. Although, I do not mind it terribly." It felt good on her fur, washing away the dirt and making it white again instead of a faint shade of gray. She did not often get a chance to bathe in rivers or streams unless she actively searched them out, so this was a relief for her.

People continued to pass under her wings and out again, entering shops and homes, some pausing to give her a wave of thanks which she returned with a short nod. "People are so often in a rush," she commented, watching a few such impatient people dash past her. "They do not take the time to enjoy life and look around." Even as she spoke one slowed and looked back, though she knew he had not heard her, before turning and slipping under her wing with a small sigh of relief.

“Hmm, I suppose. I haven’t seen any other dragons around yet though. You’re the first.” She replied, watching the rain beyond Taya’s wingtips suspiciously. She could do without rain too – it just made more water, and she hated water. Always had, and she supposed that she always would.

However, one thing that the rain /did/ do well was disguise smells. If someone cut their hand on a rainy day, not even Celölas could smell the red liquid that was spilled. However, of the same happened on a dry day… all hell could break loose. She tried not to think about that, though, as even innocent thoughts could disturb the velvety voice waiting in the back of her mind.

She watched humans rush past her, and nodded to each one, counting the number that nodded back. It was fun – she liked watching the humans, especially when they were provoked to move. On such a miserable day, it was almost like entertainment.

"I have been out here for a while and I have not seen any besides you," Taya replied. "With cities most dragons can find a place to hide from the rain. Besides us big ones anyway." Then again, she did not hide from the rain anyway. She was hardly surprised when the man who had doubled back dashed off again, sprinting into a house where he was welcomed by his family. She smiled slightly before turning back to her companion.

"Are you headed anywhere in particular?" she asked. Having nowhere she needed to be it was easy for her to adjust her course and pass by other places than the ones on the circular route she had been walking. Lightning crackled overhead, followed a moment later by a rumble of thunder, and Taya looked up interestedly. It was not a bad storm, but it had apparently decided to be a loud one.

“Well, there’s a nice, dry hayloft at the edge of town, which would probably house us both, but no, nowhere in particular.” She said, shivering as a stray drop of water dropped onto her neck. She couldn’t wait to get out of the rain, and the hayloft was only around fifteen minutes away.

Looking around, Celölas decided that she was jealous of the dragons who had found themselves a permanent human partner. She couldn’t, due to the nature of herself around the messes that humans tended to leave in their wake, but she wished she could. It would be so lovely to know there was a two-leg that knew her properly. She wondered if Taya had a pet, but didn’t want to ask until she was warmer.

As the thunder cracked above them Celölas jumped. She didn’t care for loud noises, and that had really frightened her. She shuddered, hoping that the storm would go away soon. She could only cope with so much water at a time, and this was about reaching the limit.

"Very well then, tell me the way," Taya replied agreeably. "I have nowhere else to go." Besides that, the sun was starting to set and she wanted to be inside before it got cold. Not that it was not cold already, but she could not handle it if it got much worse. People were quickly going inside as she felt like it was time to do the same. Hopefully the weather would let up overnight.

"Humans can be smart at times," she commented, watching the last one flee the relative sanctuary of her wings and vanish into her house. "But still I wonder what they would do without us." They certainly could not get around as well she decided. And they would lose their companions! Why, some of us are even more rational than they are. Things could very well dissolve into chaos she decided.

“It’s straight down here, and then left by the city wall. Keep going until you reach a green-painted door. That door is the back entrance into the hayloft – the wall at the other side is open so anyone can get in.” Celölas directed, remembering the day she had helped paint that door. It had been pointless, because no one used it, but the thought still counted. Her twin tails had made excellent paint brushed, but it had taken forever to get the green out of her fur…

“Yes, I suppose they are.” She added, thinking calmly. It was true – humans had managed so much that the dragons hadn’t while they ruled over DC. They could make houses and armour and all sorts. It was fascinating.

All over again Celölas found herself wishing she had her own human – wishing that it would ever be a possibility. Sadly, however, she knew it wouldn’t.

As they continued down the street, they passed a row of taverns. There was another human wonder: dark ale. However, she pinned her eyes to the floor the whole way, looking for broken glass.

“Watch out, Taya – there’s broken stuff down here. You don’t want to cut yourself.” She warned, trying to make the comment sound unselfish. However, she knew fully well that her reason for commenting was entirely focused around her own needs.

"All right, just let me know if I stray," Taya said, continuing down the street, her tail swishing from side to side slightly. "How big is this door?" she asked, glancing over at her companion. She figured Celölas would not direct her to it if they could not fit through, but still, it was a valid concern. After all, Taya had found herself unable to fit into places before. It was quite frustrating at times.

"They make good companions sometimes too, though there are those who seem to think the complete opposite," Taya commented, noticing that her companion had seemed to have fallen into a sullen silence. Well, it was not her place to ask about it, and so she would not. After all, people deserved to have privacy if they wanted it.

Hearing the other dragon's warning Taya instantly turned her gaze to the ground, and not a moment too soon for she had been about to step on a broken bottle. "Well," she commented, "Nice place this." Generally she stayed away from the darker and more rowdy parts of towns, but now she had no choice. Well, at least people were leaving them alone. Generally dragons were intimidating to people, especially two traveling together.

“I know it’s a bit rough, but the people are lovely – really they are. They just make a bit more mess down here. And you won’t fit through the door, but the front entrance is as big as the wall itself, so I’m sure you’ll have no problem getting inside.” Celölas smiled.

Celölas had noticed people starting to back away from them, but she presumed the weather was having more of an effect on them that the two dragons. After all, she had been there for over a month (a personal record for her), and the people were quite used to her by now. She let the thought slide away as she stepped around a bit of glass, and looked towards the end of the road. They would be turning left soon, so they couldn’t be far from the hayloft.

“What brings you into town, may I ask?” Celölas said at length, trying to make small talk and loosen the tension that silence brought. She didn’t like tension, or silence. When it got too quiet, she felt like she could hear the voices start to whisper…

"I am sure they are," Taya replied, "But I would not really know since I have not met any of them. Still, I can see that they do not mind dragons all that much, so that is a good thing." She nodded thankfully, glad that she would be able to fit inside. It must be a pretty big place, she thought. That was good. She had spent too many night stuffed inside some cramped place or sitting out in the elements because she could not fit into wherever her rider was sleeping.

Seeing the turn she took it, shaking her fur out to get the excess water off. The rain was still falling steadily, and though she could put up with it she did find it slightly annoying. Thankfully they could not be far away now. "Well my rider and I went our separate ways for a little bit," she explained. "Dawn wanted to stay and check out another city so I went on ahead to scope things out here. I will go back to her in a couple of days I suppose, but for now she is fine on her own. And you?"

“Well, I’ve been living here for almost a month, so I’ll probably be moving on soon.” Celölas replied, fluffing up her furry coat against the chill the rain had brought with it. She couldn’t wait to be safe in the warm hayloft.

Then, as she picked up in the word ‘rider’, her heart sank. She wanted a human companion so badly – they were adorable, and so clever. She wished she had the self control to have one, but that would never happen. That was why she moved on so much – it was hard not to get attached, and she didn’t know that she would be able to stay away from them after a whole month.

“Just over there – see the green door? It’s around the back.” Celölas smiled, nodding to the messily painted door up ahead. It was a patchwork of different shades of green, but looked wonderful. It had been the children of the city that had painted it, as a clubhouse for them, but they had let Celölas join in. She loved those little guys – it wasn’t going to be nice leaving them all behind when she next moved on.

"Why not settle down somewhere?" Taya asked, thinking she detected a faint note of sadness in her companion's voice. "Unless of course you just feel like seeing the world." That was why she and Dawn were wandering around, to give the woman a chance to see more than the forest in which she had been raised.

"You know, if you want I could take you to meet Dawn," Taya offered helpfully. "She would love to meet you I am sure. She always likes making new friends." The statement was not exactly true, Dawn would prefer not to have to meet anyone new, though once she got to know someone and found out they were going to treat her kindly the woman would open up to them. It just took a bit of time and effort, that was all. "Only if you want to of course, I know we just met ourselves, and some dragons are not particularly accepting of people," Taya amended.

"Ah good," she said, spotting the door. "It is starting to get cold out here."

How was she supposed to reply to that? ‘I’m scared of getting attached’? No, that sounded ridiculous. “I’m just a bit restless – a month is usually about my limit before I have to get going again. I don’t think I could handle being cooped up in one place.” She said. That wasn’t exactly true – she would have loved to settle down, but she would end up getting herself kicked out again soon enough.

“Ooh, that would be wonderful!” Celölas gasped, before coming back to her senses and shaking her head. “But I shouldn’t – I mean, I…” she trailed off. She thought about trying to finish that sentence properly, but the large hayloft was close enough for her to dive into from there, meaning she might be able to avoid having to make something up.

Making a mad dash through the rain from Taya’s wing into the wide, open side of the huge barn, she jumped straight into a large haystack at one side and hid herself from the neck down in the straw. “Come on in – it’s lovely and warm!” Celölas shouted back to Taya, snuggling into her new nest. This was the life – no rain, no drafts and even a new dragon to talk to.

"You are very much like Dawn," Taya said with a chuckle, slowly crossing the rest of the distance. She paused just outside and shook all the water off of herself as she could before entering the building, not wanting to soak everything. "She does not like to stay in one place either anymore. She will of course, if someone or something catches her interest, but it does not happen often." Of course... they were currently apart because Dawn was in another city, exploring with some male she had run into, quite literally by the sound of things. They were simply friends, but Taya knew that Dawn would stay as long as he did, though that might not be very long. The man seemed to be a wanderer.

"Well, if you change your mind you are more than welcome to come with me," Taya said, letting the other dragon be secretive. It was not her style to pry into people's business, and she was not going to start now. That would only be rude, especially after she had shown Taya a place to stay, which she was grateful for.

Upon inspection Taya nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is quite nice," she decided. "A good and rare find. Buildings that dragons of my size can fit into are few and far between." Taya pulled some of the straw into a nest-like shape, taking a few moments to make sure it was satisfactory before curling up in it, shuffling her wings contentedly.

“I’ll tell you if I do.” Celölas said, smiling. She knew she shouldn’t, but deep down she knew she would like nothing more than getting to meet this Dawn person, even if it was just for a little while on her way out to another town.

“I was quite proud of the little ones for getting this place sorted. They used to play here all the time, but they got tired of it. Now I use it to get out of the rain.” She smiled, burying herself even more, so that only her eyes and nose showed through the huge heap of hay. She loved the barn, because it was full of nice, faint, dusty smells that let her relax perfectly. There was nothing there to make her jump, and the pigeons that sometimes nested in the roof were pleasant enough company when she was alone in the cold or rain.

“I don’t have too much trouble, since I can crouch easily, and I’m only a few feet taller than a human, but it is nice to have plenty of room.” She added, nodding through the veil of straw all around her. It probably would have been more sensible to make herself a nest, as Taya was doing, but she preferred her little hidey holes. She felt nice and safe in them, and it was certainly warm.

Taya nodded happily, hoping that the other dragon would change her mind about not going. She thought her rider would like the female, for she was kind and caring, just the sort of personality Dawn opened up to. It was so easy to put her off, Taya thought sadly. It took some work for her to trust someone. Which was natural in reality, but Dawn took it to an extreme sometimes. Still, Taya loved her and would not trade her for anyone.

"Little ones are like the wind sometimes," Taya commented, drawing herself back to the present. "They come and go as they please, but they do brighten things up while they linger." For the first time in ages Taya considered what it would be like to have little ones of her own. Certainly it was not impossible, it was just not high on her list of things to do. "I know this is a bit of a personal question but have you ever considered having little ones?" she asked, laying her head on her paws while she studied her companion sociably. "You do not have to answer if you do not want to."

"Lucky you," she added. "Of course, we are both lucky compared to those dragons who tower over us. They must have a lot of difficulty finding a place to stay."

“I’m sure they do. I rather like this size – it’s just right for cities really.” Celölas smiled, quite comfortable in her haystack. She might stay there for a while, actually, in case she couldn’t find anywhere else to sleep.

“Ah yes, they are just like the wind.” She added, thinking about Taya’s comment. However, her question caught her by surprise. She hadn’t ever allowed herself to think about it, but the idea was lovely and warm. Humans were sweet, but her own little dragons? It seemed too wonderful to ever happen.

As she thought about it, Celölas realised that the idea was just that, however. She couldn’t trust herself enough for that. She didn’t trust herself around total strangers, for pity’s sake, so she could never allow herself to have children. They would be too dependant on her, and the second one of them scraped a paw, that could be it. No, she could never be the motherly sort, no matter how much she might want it.

“I don’t think it could happen. I’m not the motherly sort.” She concluded aloud, disguising that confirmation of her decision as her answer to Taya’s question. Maybe if she could learn to control herself she could think further about it, but that would take a good few years. It wasn’t worth getting her hopes up.

"I am a little bit bigger than is really comfortable I think," Taya replied. "But I know it could be a lot worse so I do not complain." She smiled softly to show that she really was happy with it while she looked around the barn. There was not a whole lot to see, but she wanted to make sure they were really alone. The last thing she wanted was to be attacked in the middle of the night.

"Their energy can be catching though," Taya pointed out, thinking of the few times she had been able to spend any amount of time around youngsters. Satisfied that they were alone she returned her gaze to Celölas and nodded slightly.

"There is nothing wrong with that," the Antler said. "In fact... I am not that sure if I could be a mother either. Besides that, I have no idea where I would ever find a mate. But it is still an interesting thought." Even if she did find another one of her kind, and it happened to be a male, they still had to get along, and he and her rider would have to get along. It would require a lot of fate to be certain. The chances of it happening? Not very good. So she did not give it much hope.

“Interesting is about right.” Celölas smiled, ruffling up her fur. She knew fully well that she would never find a mate, which only added to the list of problems. No dragon in their right mind would want to stay with someone like her – she was doomed to spend her life alone, when it all came down to it. However, she could at least enjoy the moments of company she got along the way, including Taya’s.

“Is there anything you’d like to see around here once the rain stops? I may as well show you around if you like.” Celölas said, trying to remember any interesting things in town. There wasn’t really much to speak of, since the little town was rather, well, little. However, she was sure there had to be something interesting for them to go and see.

Taya smiled softly, shuffling her wings to get some of the residual water off of them. At least the building was warm and the hay was soft. Granted she was used to sleeping in uncomfortable places but that did not mean she wanted to. Thankfully she had run into someone who could show her a place to stay. While the Antler pushed some piles of hay around she considered the question, wondering if there was anything she wanted to see.

"Well I did not really get that much time to look around what with the rain and all," she replied. "So I do not really know what there is to see. So I suppose whatever you think is interesting would be good." Of course, that depended on whether or not the rain had stopped by morning. If it had not she did not really want to wander around in it, though she would if her new companion wanted to.

“Well, it’s a little quaint really, but there are a few nice statues and such in the main square, and there will be a few nice little stalls set up once the weather clears. The people are always having little markets and fairs.” Celölas smiled fondly. There would be some sort of craft fair for the children – there always was – and she was looking forward to actually getting out and about. She mostly stayed indoors, or in the little barn, because she didn’t want to get anyone else into trouble. Showing Taya around would give her an excuse to come out of hiding, and she could always hope that she could keep a clean record from this town. She was moving out soon anyway, so maybe she could do it without killing something this time.

“It’s probably getting late anyway – it’s dark now because of the storm, but the sun will set in less than an hour. Hopefully the morning will bring… drier weather.” She said with a shudder. She hated rain – she always had. The damp ground tomorrow would be bad enough, and she didn’t really want to get her fur wet again.

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