Make a Joyful Noise

[Oren]

Kendryek smiled. Gently climbing onto Le Cyll's back, he almost laughed. He was going to be flying in just a few short minutes. It wouldn't take too long for them to gain the altitude that was need in this situation.

Le Cyll opened his wings wide with his torso hovering over the ground. Kendryek knew the take-off jolt well, so he hung on tight, but not too tight.

With a few steps and a single leap they were off! Faster and faster, higher and higher, Le Cyll climbed the sky swifter than a mountain goat running from a leopard. Of course, that was to be expected. This was flying, not running. Kendryek would have let out a shout of joy, but such expressions were not well placed when in the company of someone who constantly looked for weaknesses. To say that joy was a weakness was foolish. To say it was a means to make someone weak, now that was truth. Joy could be and often was used against people. It was sad really.

But enough of the sadness. He was going to get to fly. For the first time in a few months he was going to get to spread his wings a feel the rush of air past his ears. Well, he already heard the molecules zipping past him, but that was with human ears. Dragon ears were different. It was an exhilarating experience that he wished all could enjoy. Alas, that wasn't possible.

As Ly Cyll shot into a cloud, Kendryek closed his eyes and exhaled. This was going to be wonderful!

[ωΘĿƒ]

Keeping his pace at a nice, steady beating rate, Le Cyll tried to shake the feeling of apprehension. It would most likely drag him down, and he did not want to be dragged. He would much rather travel down at a rate of his own choosing.

Speaking of dragging, he found the light little form of Kendryek in his human shape to be nothing more than a touch of weight to his flight. Le Cyll was an excellent flier, and he had carried things into the air much more heavy and awkward than this little child. He barely noticed the weight, if not for the lack of aerodynamics he usually enjoyed, and as he climbed higher and higher, he felt that all too familiar feeling of weightlessness take hold of himself as well. He was flying. He loved to fly. More than anything else, he knew he loved to fly.

Angling the obsidian spears that were his wing tips, he gently coasted through a cloud in the lower atmosphere. The white was blinding for only a second, but the cool, moist feeling on his face and paws more than made up for it. He let his mouth open and his tongue loll happily, lapping up some of the dew that collected. Then he broke through the cloud and continued his upward arc.

The ground was so large and flat from this height, and he could clearly imagine the weight on his back falling from this distance - the little thud he would make on the ground. That would be funny, but this was not his goal, sadly. He would find his goal out when he reached the designated height, and he had not reached it yet.

He waited, patiently, nervously for whatever was to happen to happen. He was not entirely assured of this, but the joy of flying at least alleviated some of his apprehension. There was that, at least.

Folding his wings slightly now that he had reached the heavy winds, he focused more on his trajectory. He needed to pay attention for this. Despite his flight, he was not free. He needed to understand what this flying test was for, and then he needed to pass it.

Hopefully, it would be nothing too complicated. Else he might just grow tired and drop his passenger early...
[/size]

[Oren]

Kendryek could still feel the anticipation rising in the pit of his stomach. He leaned over to see how high they were and smiled slightly when Ly Cyll leaned to balance. Almost there! They were almost high enough! Actually, that was a understatement. They were there already, but Kendryek wanted to be able to dive! He hoped that Le Cyll would understand. Sure half of this was just so that he could open his wings for the first time in months, but this would also stretch Le Cyll's understanding of other beings. Back on the ground, Le Cyll had gone from a dominate attitude to a wary one. It hadn't been apart of the original though process, but it dawned on Kendryek that this could possibly help Le Cyll.

Either that or this wolf would count it as a weakness.

Though that would only open more doors for Kendryek to show him just how wrong he was. Just then, another thing dawned on him. He was slowly figuring out Le Cyll's personality. It wasn't taking quite as long as he had initially thought, but it was still taking more than a few sentences. This was definitely a win/win situation. Le Cyll would learn many things while teaching Kendryek a few things as well.

Closing his eyes, he focused his thoughts toward Le Cyll. We're high enough. his mind droned in its old voice. A small voice reminded him that most didn't react too well when they heard the age old voice, his real voice. But it was a small voice. Too small to be heard now. Besides, it was too late.

Le Cyll had stopped ringing up and was simply flying in a slow, large circle. Kendryek could sense the slight curiosity in the way the wolf was flying, but that didn't really matter either. It was time to fly!

Jane.* he told him with a smile. Quickly leaning to one side, quite too fast for Le Cyll to counter balance, he slipped off the wolf's side and started a free-fall.

Closing his eyes, Kendryek let his senses rage wild. He could feel his body shed the skin that held it. His wide wings spread and his long tail whipped out. His massive claws and his sinuous limps broke from their cage. His lengthy neck and large maw escaped the folds of their concealment.

Opening his eyes with an exhilaration that he hadn't felt in a long time, he judged the distance just right and swooped up just in time. His claws gently brushed the topmost leaves of the trees.

Perfect.

In all this time he still hadn't lost his special little touch. Lifting his wings again and again, he zoomed up and past Le Cyll in half the time it had taken before. His tail whipped back and forth as he steered himself lower and into a circle that was five times as large as the one Le Cyll had been flying. He made sure to stay a little lower than the wolf so that he wouldn't mistake it as a predatory action.

Now this, he told the wolf, is paradise.

(OOC: You realize that Le Cyll is gonna have to change the way he views things eventually, right?

*"Jane" means "see you later". It's like saying, "I'll be falling now.")

[ωΘĿƒ]

The sound in his head was different, so different than the child's voice that he had heard earlier. He couldn't entirely say he was expecting it, but he knew this Kendryek to be a dragon, and dragons had voices much like this voice was. Still, it was a little surprising; but not as much as what happened next.

Here he was, and here they were, cruising up at a few hundred feet above the face of the little blue planet, when suddenly Kendryek mutters a goodbye and drops off Le Cyll's back. Now, far be it from him to actually care for the well being of this strange dragon, but to fall? What was this? Why did he do that? Le Cyll halted to a complete stall in the air, wings fluttering slightly as he kept himself aloft, and he watched with ears drawn forward as the small form of the human boy dropped into the layers of clouds.

Interesting. Very interesting.

Le Cyll watched the boy freefall with some quiet fascination. Perhaps he would get to see a pretty pattern on the ground after all. It wasn't exactly as he suspected the test would go, but he was more than happy to see the outcome.

But... what if his job was to catch Kendryek? He was failing then, wasn't he?

Well, he was far too far gone now, and it would take entirely too much effort to get him back. Le Cyll did not want to bend a feather diving for the fool that fell to his own death, pass or fail this interesting exam as he might. But, as he was thinking precisely this, something huge and loud plummeted up to him, laying its wings flat and hovering where he was right below him.

Ah... that was... maybe not so good. So he had changed and saved himself. Was this his plan all along? Hopefully so, because if Le Cyll was supposed to catch him, it might not be too much cause for celebration.

"Now this is paradise." Was the only response he received. Hmmm. The dragon didn't seem mad at all. Oh well, problem solved. And he didn't even have to do anything. Le Cyll spread his wings a bit wider, painfully awarer of the size difference between the huge dragon and himself, and he forced out a reply.

"I'd rather hope not. Paradise is meant to be lost."[/i]
[/color][/size]

((Ah good luck with that ^^; he's pretty darn delusional.))

[Oren]

Kendryek could see that Le Cyll was still wary. That could be a good thing. That could be a bad thing. If Le Cyll was too wary, he wouldn't want to take him back to the ground. That could prove problamatic. It would also end their 'hunt' for a phoenix together.

If Kendryek could show any expression in his current form, he would have frowned. That was the nice thing about this form. There was no trying to hide facial expressions or emotions that dragons were born to keep concealed. Dragons were much like owls of the mythical world. Of course, there were owl-like beings in this 'realm' but that was of little importance for the time being.

"I'd rather hope not. Paradise is meant to be lost." Le Cyll responded after only a slightly hesitation. That was good. He wasn't too shaken by his voice. He just might be a very good person to know. Better yet, if Kendryek could get on his good side...

Well, there was no time to be worrying about that. It was time to take action and simply believe.

And I thought I was literal, said Kendryek as he continued to fly his large circle. It's a saying, dear Kludde. I simply enjoy flying, especially after not being able to for over a year. If it was permissable, I would fly for hours, but if I recall correctly, we have a phoenix to find. There is one, not too far, to the North North-East. Are you up to finding it with me?

Kendryek closed his eyes for a second, waiting the wolf's reply. He so much loved flying. That was the biggest downfall to him being so large. There weren't very many places big enough for him to change without bringing attention to himself. Fifty or more trees knocked down for apparently no reason was something those stupid human reporters would be all over in meer hours. And so many humans lurked around that they would spot him taking off even if he did find a place large enough. The sea was a perfect spot, but the trick was getting far enough out that no one would notice. Sadly, many people didn't like taking a random guy out to sea and leaving him to float on a small raft. It was a pity, really. Many humans were considered inconsiderate most of the time, but when it came to leaving a 'young man' in 'shark infested waters', no one readily offered their assistance.

The only reason he was here, flying now, was because he had accidentally confused Le Cyll. He hadn't realized it at first, but now he could see it clearly. He must have slipped in to the Japanese habit of leaving out 'important' words. Stupid origins, though he actually quite liked his origins. Japan was an amazing country in many ways.

He quickly switched his mind back to Le Cyll. Now was not the time to daze.[/size]

((There's a reason I said 'eventually'. XD))

[ωΘĿƒ]

It was difficult, very difficult at first. He really had to try... to feel such apprehension while in the air.

The light, free feeling was so intoxicating, it almost made his whole span of years worth living. Almost. And, like any good mood, Le Cyll was eventually able to overtake it and pack it away neatly for another time. He needed to focus now, and pay attention to this dragon.

He spoke of being to large to fly, and said he hadn't flown in about a year. Le Cyll tried to fathom that a second, and found it to be... not computable. If he could not fly for more than a month, he'd be sure to commit suicide. It really wasn't worth living to think about a world without sky.

The sky was everything. The sky held the moon, and the stars that waited ever so patiently for the moon to rise. The stars and moon together formed such an immense visage that it was really a shame for those that did not have wings. A terrible, terrible shame.

There was not life without sky. That was one of the first things he had learned. And Kendryek had gone without for so long. It probably would have saddened Le Cyll if he could feel any pain for the sake of others.

"Yes, I think I'd like to find that phoenix..." Le Cyll responded quietly. It was not out of sorrow that he spoke softly, but thoughtfulness.

He did not like being thoughtful most of the time. It tended to cause bad things to happen to him. Now though, he felt the pull of brooding sucking him in. He ignored this, arching his wings and heading in the direction that he last scented the phoenix. He would find it, and that would make him happy for a while.

That would be nice.
[/size]

[Oren]

Then the phoenix they would go after. If he had really wanted to he could have decided on what specific species this particular one was, but it was always fun to leave some thing undiscovered until found. This was one of those times.

But not dwelling on the thought, he enjoyed the moment. He was flying! He was finally flying! It wasn't an easy thing to forget the joys of the sky and it was even harder to suppress the urges to abandon all wariness and take off without warning. He managed, but sometimes he would stay in his room for days on end because he knew that if he didn't he wouldn't be able to resist the call. The sky was one of a dragon's three homes. Land, of course, was typically the primary one. The water was home to a dragon as well, to some more than others. Yet the one that most dragons preferred was the air; the endless regions and space in which they could abandon all thought of other creatures and all other problems. The sky was freedom.

Le Cyll had started flying off towards the phoenix and Kendryek started to do the same. If he stayed at this height, though, people would know that he was a dragon, and that could be a bad thing.

I'm going up higher, for precaution's sake. Lead the way.

He didn't say this to give the wolf the 'lead' position in the 'hunt', but because he wanted to play with the clouds in the higher atmosphere, and anyone knows that one can't track too well if they are preoccupied with playing. It was simple fact and Le Cyll seemed more keen on finding this creature than he was, so he was fine with letting him track it. It was a simple matter that was of little to no importance. The kludde could think what he wished of the statement. It wouldn't change the actual meaning. Besides, Le Cyll was smart. He'd probably realize what Kendryek was doing sooner or later.

Swooping low once more, he caught an updraft and shot into the clouds faster than a rocket. Twirling in a tight spiral he came to the top the of updraft and opened his wings, hovering for a split second before shooting forward, down a very short ways, and then up higher than he had been before. The freedom in movements and possible flight paths was definitely a favorite.

So was the sensation of cold crystals hitting his scales at who knew how many hundreds of miles an hour.

He reached the upper atmosphere and took in a huge breath. It was hard for creatures to breath this far up, but dragons were built for the sky, so it wasn't much of a problem. They were like whales under water except they were dragons extremely high in the sky.

Bringing himself to the reality at hand, he cast down and about for Le Cyll's mind. He was around three hundred feet below and a good hundred feet ahead. That was okay and probably even good. Whenever they found they phoenix, Le Cyll would have to be able to judge the distance and the speed at which he could catch Kendryek. That was, if he was even going to carry the plan out. There was a large possibility that he wasn't. He could only hope and pray for the wolfs cooperation.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll noticed Kendryek climbing as soon as he mentioned him taking the lead. That was interesting, that he would fly higher up into the clouds...

On the other hand, this creature was so massive that he would not be allowed to fly nearly as much as the Kludde could. It would make sense that he would want to make the best of it while he could. Le Cyll knew he would do the same. He had to fly every single day, or else he would often be far too depressed to trust himself with anything. It was sad, really, but what could he do? Other than the obvious ending it all, of course. He could do that, but not yet.

He had the lovely lady Seth to think about, and Ailyth to eat. And that Areon. Let us not forget him. Le Cyll had something special planned for Areon. Something so perfectly divine. It was hardly appropriate to be so selfish as to kill himself when these people needed him. Who would best that temptuous little water demon if he was gone? Who would silence that adorable twit? Who would show Areon that there are things worse than having that nasty little monster locked up inside of him...

No, he needed to live right now. Right now he had purpose, and purpose was the best thing when you were thinking seriously about that nice dark place after life. He would go and he would see the phoenix, and its pretty golden feathers and sparkling little beady eyes would make him happy for a time. He would be happy flying, and he would continue to do so until he found exactly what he was looking for in this life.

Now, wouldn't it be nice to know what that thing was?

"Gladly, I will lead."[/i] He replied, but he did so quietly, thoughtfully. He was not thinking about Kendryek now. He was focusing on the phoenix's scent.

Angling his wings, he turned slightly toward where the smell of feathers and fire lead. They were almost there, and when they were there, he would be happy.

If only fleetingly.
[/color][/size]

[Oren]

Zipping through the clouds, Kendryek couldn't help but purr the slightest bit. Dragons rarely purred, and it was more of a low growl than a purr, but this was such a stress-relieving activity that he couldn't help it. Flying high, then low, then high, then back again, zooming as fast as his large wings could take him, he zipped through a small cloud, the water particles trailing him in a large white, fluffy tail. What a joy this was! Le Cyll could do the tracking; he was fully assured of that. It rendered him able to fly about and enjoy a small time of exhilaration. This wonderful sensation was...

Wait.

Something wasn't right.

Kendryek opened his eyes and peered through the clouds down at Le Cyll. The wolf was still there. That was good. But then... what was wrong? What was this sensation in the air? They weren't near a thundercloud so it wasn't an electrical charge and the humidity wasn't bad either. It was something else.

But what was it?

It took him another minute of wondering, but he finally placed the feeling. There was another creature near by. It was threatening something. He wasn't sure what, but he figured this creature was large enough too maybe fight over what they thought was their territory. Of course, they were over school grounds, so this creature was technically trespassing on 'their' territory.

Then again, was this a student? No, there was no way it lived around here. It smelled like a dragon, and an unfamiliar one at that. It was an outsider.

An outsider intent on hurting someone or something.

Kendryek himself didn't feel worried or threatened, and he wondered why. Did this trespasser even realize he was here? It would be odd if he didn't. He had been zooming through the clouds carelessly before now. Presently, he was hiding in a cloud, still peering down at Le Cyll and attempting to find the other creature as well. It wasn't much of a success. The dragon was definitely using some kind of illusion. Was it a water dragon? Some of the more talented of that particular species was very good at making masking clouds to cover themselves in.

He snapped himself out of the questions. It didn't matter right now! He would find out later, so what was the point in asking himself the questions now? The answers wouldn't help him find the darn dragon, so they didn't matter! For now, he needed to focus on the mood of the dragon and what was being planned.

Another necessary thing was to alert Le Cyll. He was hoping the wolf was already aware, but on the off chance that he wasn't, he needed to tell him.

"We have company," he told the wolf, "and if you can't tell, they aren't friendly and they aren't small."

Now that that was done he concentrated on the scent of this dragon. How far away was it? Not far. How hostile was it? Quite. Focusing really hard, he took in a deep breath. What type was it? He almost chucked to himself. It was a water dragon.

Swooping from one large cloud to the next, he watched as Le Cyll continued to fly. This was going to get interesting, and mainly for one reason.

They were flying towards it!

[ωΘĿƒ]

The Kludde noticed only slightly that Kendryek was making the best of his time, whirling through the clouds and generally having a good time. This was nice, but Le Cyll did not have to whirl to enjoy himself. He had been having an excellent day before meeting the strange and powerful dragon - most dragons being more powerful than him and therefore a mood dampener - and he was willing now, after all the awkward formalities were out of the way, to enjoy himself once more.

He was simply doing it in a different way - in the way only a true carnivore could. Le Cyll had no in depth understanding of a dragon's dietary requirements, much less those of his new "friend" but he did recognize himself - although mythical in nature - as relating most closely to the wolf. His species had the personality of wolves, the social structure of wolves, the manners of wolves, and most importantly the diet of wolves. Therefore, it was his way, like the wolf's way, to entertain himself in a passtime known only as the hunt.

He liked hunting. All canines did, but he had some sense that his enjoyment was more of that than simple instinct. It was almost a need of his, to seek and destroy things. He knew not why, and he really hadn't made an effort to learn. He knew only that he loved running, flying, searching for something ever off in the distance. He loved scenting it so slightly in the air, and he loved seeing the signs of its life get stronger and stronger as he drew nearer. He loved to wait and watch for the perfect moment when he would close the last yard of distance, and he loved the inevitable catching of the thing he so eagerly sought. It was perfection, this hunt - a pure sport for a pure cause. He would either find and observe the creature he had found, like he would do with the phoenix, or he would eat it. Either way, it was a good ending to a good hunt, and it made him just about as happy as flying did.

No, perhaps it made him more happy than that.

Taking another small adjustment to the course, Le Cyll scented the air again, making absolutely sure he was following the right trail. In the process, he found something slightly different than he should have. There was a sharper scent than that of burning, more moist and definitely bigger.

Kendryek said something about company, and that thought alone made his feathers curl up more, catching the wind and sending him up higher. This was his instinct as a predator, to rise and look for whatever it was that was coming, but sadly at further examination of the scent, it was not something smaller that had joined them. His next inclination was to drop into the upper tree layer, but on second consideration, he rose a little more, tucking his legs in tightly as the crystals began to form on the edges of his fur.

Kendryek was big, right? He also did not seem the hungry or malevolent type. That meant he would be a floating oasis of cover. Le Cyll banked up under the massive shadow, not coming close enough to be buffeted by the huge gusts that the dragon stirred up, but close enough so that anything higher than them would not have a chance to drop in and pay a surprise visit.

Shaking the first layers of condensed frost off his primary feathers, Le Cyll scanned the forest below. There would either be an areal attack from this new, bigger thing, or there would be a ground strike, in which case he would have more reaction time. He did not stop to think that this thing might be friendly. Bigger things were rarely nice. Besides, Kendryek seemed to think the same, and this thing was his kin. He would be, if any, the reigning professional in determining if the giant scaly lizard was deadly or not.

"Can you see it yet?" The Kludde asked calmly, still sweeping the ground below.

[Oren]

By the way that Le Cyll didn't fly below him until his thoughts were spoken, he assumed the dog hadn't really noticed. That only meant that this trespasser was really good with its magic.

"No, I can't see it."

"It's a water dragon," he said, almost as if that should be enough explanation. "A strong one," he added. Then, just so they were on the same page, he added, "Stay out of the clouds, and preferably a few hundred feet away from them. Some water dragons can create mists that look very similar to clouds." The wolf would pick up on the fact that this was one such dragon. It was completely obvious given the circumstances along with the facts.

The only reason Kendryek was staying partially in the clouds was to lure the dragon out. If it had malicious intent, it needed to be stopped. Some might say that Le Cyll was unintentionally playing the part of the bait, but that was better than being the dead victim, wasn't it? Besides, that wasn't why he was having the kludde stay away from the clouds. If Le Cyll flew into the dragon's could by accident, there would be no chance of him flying straight through unscathed. In fact, it was highly unlikely that he would fly out of it alive. Dragons didn't miss much, especially a potential meal.

Scanning the sky and clouds once more, he closed his eyes briefly to concentrate on hearing. There was a very soft thump in the air. That was only another way of confirming that this dragon was on the hunt: there was barely a sound of it flying. It was definitely getting closer, that was for sure. That was the only thing that was 'for sure' that pertained to the dragon's whereabouts.

In only a short while, Kendryek noticed a change in the direction of which the dragon was flying. It was behind them now. Now it was in front of them. It wasn't as large as him, so that could only mean that it was still oblivious to his presence.

"Le Cyll, watch out," he warned. "It's stalking you."

He would have its location in just a moment, but there was no need to tell the wolf that. He would find out as soon as it was found. Looking upward, he noticed a very large cloud that could easily hold a dragon about half his size. Studying the way the cloud moved for a second, he noticed small traces of a flying dragon. If one looked closely at the clouds Kendryek moved in and out of, they would see the small patters as well.

"It's above us."

Just as he finished the sentence, a blue dragon zipped out of the cloud. It was headed toward Le Cyll. The angle at which the dragon was coming from made it impossible for Kendryek to stop him on the way down, but if he acted fast enough, he could probably ram the dragon before it hit the wolf. He would need speed for this, and that was something he currently didn't have. Zooming upward, he quickly turned back around and darted toward the other dragon. Gouging the speed at which the other dragon was flying, he matched his angle so that the flight paths would intersect before Le Cyll could be hurt.

Almost there.

There.

The blue dragon took the impact with much surprise. It let out a surprised roar and flapped its wings clumsily, trying to escape Kendryek's claws and teeth. It was all for naught, though, for as he had suspected, this dragon was much smaller than himself. It would've been an easy kill. The only thing was, he didn't like to kill creatures, particularly those that had just turned from the hunter to the hunted. It didn't sit well with him. Killing just wasn't his style.

After the initial shock, the reptile started putting thought into how he was squirming. After a few seconds, he started screaming too. It wasn't a scream of pain, but more of a scream for help.

He growled softly. This dragon was a coward. It was screaming in fear for its own life.

He really hated how creatures being attacked always screamed. Did they think that they could obtain the attention of someone who could help them by voicing their distress? Most of the time, when prey screamed, they thought they were about to die. Most of the time, the prey would be right in assuming as much. Those that screamed in fear were usually dead and gone before help arrived.

Keeping his grip of the blue dragon was harder than he had hoped. Holding on as best he could with the smaller dragon raking its hind claws along his front leg and stomach, he dove toward the ground. It wasn't smart to leave this thing in the air as long as Le Cyll was still up there.

Looking past the blue scales that nearly blocked his vision, he saw that they were quickly approaching the ground. Because of this, he released his hold on the dragon, zooming upward as the trespasser fell into the trees. He listened for a thud that would confirm that the dragon had truly made it all the way to the loam below.

He rose back to where he had been before. Taking a moment to find the general areas in which he had been wounded, he found that it wasn't quite as much damage as it had originally thought, but it still hurt like heck. Even so, he was tempted to sigh with relief. Pain wasn't something he enjoyed. It was also bothersome. He was simply glad it wasn't too extensive. Yet.

One part of him wanted the dragon to fly back up with a resolve to fight. Another part of him said that the dragon would be an idiot to do so. He wasn't sure what the dragon was thinking, but he hoped it was smart. If it was, one of two things could happen. It would stay on the ground until Kendryek left or it would make a plan and execute it swiftly.

Without looking at the wolf, he said, "Would you like to fly on, or would you prefer to stay and see if that miserable excuse for a dragon would like to fight on?"

[ωΘĿƒ]

When the inevitable strike came, it was quiet a loud and terrifying one. Le Cyll could not pinpoint exactly why the bigger and stronger than him inspired such fear, such awestruck terror in him. It was not often that he left himself open to attack or dangled himself out in front of large, hungry creatures, but when he did the result was almost exactly the same.

The wolf, by nature, was a coward. He would absolutely not deal with things like this dragon. He was much too distracted by his own crippling fear to. And yes, it was also infuriating, this. He did not back down lightly, and it was almost painful to do so, but he had to. He had no choice. Perhaps it was something he had experienced before, something having to do with his dear old daddy that taught him very clearly the importance of running when something else wanted to skin you alive.

In any case, the lesson was not lost on him. At first sight and sound of that massive, threatening creature, the wolf dropped out of the sky, diving as quickly as he could for cover in the trees far below.

As this turned out, it was not so good a strategy. Kendryek flew to intercept, and immediately Le Cyll dropped out of his dive bomb and rose higher into the sky, zipping away from the two lizards and their squabble.

Funny, even in times of immense peril on his part, he could still see the irony in it. This Kendryek wanted to protect him, though why he could only imagine. If the reverse was the situation - if this lizard was in peril and he had the option to save him, there was no doubt in his mind that he would let Kendryek fall to his fate. As hard as he may try to muster up some kind of empathy for this savior of his, he was simply not able to care if the friendly dragon was killed or not.

Even so, he was willing to accept the very generous offer to keep from being eaten. No need to turn down something so useful at the moment. Le Cyll's wings spread wide, keeping far from the in flight battle. He took a few breaths, to calm himself, seeing his side of the squabble winning and eventually defeating the other side.

The terror sunk back into his head, both allowing him to think clearly again and draining him of any feeling. The antiseptic lack of emotion was nice, like a clean blade. He had heard little of anything of what Kendryek had said during this whole little escapade, but now that the creature had successfully been shoved into the tree line, he thought he heard Kendryek mentioning something about staying and waiting for the other dragon to come back.

"No" the wolf replied immediately. "I- I don't want to stay. Leave it there."

He had tried to steady his voice, but some of the shakiness bled through regardless. Without any more warning, Le Cyll chaned direction and began to head back to the castle. He was astute enough to pick up on the fact that no hostile forces would enter it without Crane's permission. That, and he had heard another student say something of the like a few weeks ago.
[/size]

[Oren]

Kendryek smiled slightly at the wolf. Of course he wouldn't want to stay! If there was a creature over ten times his size, he wouldn't want to stay either, it wouldn't matter if it was friendly or not! Large things were intimidating no matter who you were!... unless you were someone like Chasity or that one girl he had met. What was her name? Nami? Yes, that was it. Nami was also one who didn't seem the type to cower at the site of large creatures. She was dating a dragon, after all. Come to think of it, so had Chasity.

Soaring back to the higher reaches of the sky, he ran through the moves he had just executed and analyzed what he had done wrong. Of course he was out of practice, and he wished that Areon had been more willing to spar with him, but what was done was done. The opposing dragon had still gone down with barely a hitch. The large scratches, that would seem like gashes to any human, were energy draining, but he would survive.

They reached their 'point of origin' in almost no time at all. Deciding to try a move he hadn't performed in a hundred years or so, he slowly glided down to the tree tops. Hovering for a few seconds, he concentrated on his front left foot and quickly donned his skin. His feet hit the branch he had aimed for almost perfectly.

Almost.

He could feel himself falling before he actually did. Quickly grabbing two branches, he steadied himself. Looking up into the sky, he scanned for Le Cyll but didn't see him. Perhaps the wolf had flown off. It didn't really matter. The hunt was practically over. Even if it wasn't, Kendryek was ready for a nice, long shower. He wasn't exhausted, or even tired, he just liked the feeling water had on his skin. It was the closest he could get to the sting of minute water droplets hitting his scales while he was in this form.

After he climbed most of the way down, he jumped out from the tree and landed lightly on the soft loam. Standing, he sighed. What now? Looking at the ground as if he would find something interesting to do, he surprisingly did. A few feet away was a strange looking plant. It was similar to a mushroom but had a strange looking strip of orange. Kneeling beside it, he moved away the loam and pulled it from its place in the soft dirt. It was soft and gooey. That was a strange. Mushrooms weren't typically gooey. Well, that depended on one's definition of gooey, but this was almost like the-inside-of-a-passion-fruit gooey. It was almost as if it should be classed in the food group 'Fruit' not 'Fungus'. Very strange indeed.

Pulling a small plastic bag out of his satchel, he dropped it in and quickly looked around for more. Who cared if Le Cyll saw him and thought he was crazy? He was. He knew it and didn't deny it or care if others knew. Why would he? It was a fact. Facts weren't meant to be denied.

((You can have Le Cyll walk up or something if you want to. I'll just have Kendryek be done collection mushrooms.))[/size]

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll flew for a little longer than he needed to. He had more than definitely gone past the first point of contact with Kendryek, and now, wings gently bending to the minute changes in current, he was drifting.

It was quite disarming, to have the joy of flight ripped from you. Le Cyll himself could endure many torturous and deathly things, but he was not good at dealing with emotion. That is why, though in the strictest sense of the word "emotion" he did have them, it was more often than not he folded them up nice and neatly and tucked them away for later.

Emotion was untidy. He did not have the right emotions, anyways. Always laughing when he should be mourning, or angry when he should feel love. It was much easier to use the cool, clean methods of logic. They were perfectly sterile - infallible. Logic did not lie, and facts could not be made to spin fairytales.

Primal fear was the particular emotion that had griped him at that moment. Must have been a gift from dear old daddy. He had been such a loving, compassionate father... It sent shivers to the ends of the wolf's wingtips. He took a moment, composed his ugly, messy emotion, and made an elegant loop to go find Kendryek.

It would be rude to leave without any sort of notice. He would never do that.

Le Cyll was much smaller than the dragon in his true form, so it was easier for him to land. Considering his natural environment was actually forested, it made his huge form more compatible with the small, cramped spaces of the forest. The trees served to hide him instead of hinder him.

He landed next to the human form of Kendryek, soundlessly. He was bent over, picking something up. Now, if Le Cyll had been any normal creature, he would have roiled back in disgust at the rotten piece of fungus that Kendryek was holding. "Why was he picking it up?" "What would he keep it for?"

To Le Cyll, these were as all other questions of the kind were - useless. He nosed his way around to the other side of Kendryek, sniffing at the strange, fleshy fungus.

"It is a lot like a plant, isn't it?"[/i] he mused aloud. "The forest here must be affected by the uncanny inhabitants, no?"[/i]
[/color][/size]

[Oren]

Kendryek smiled at Le Cyll's assessment. "One would think so, and although I've seen stranger, it still might be possible. They do all sorts of things to create an inhabitable forest, the greedy creatures. I'm sure this is just an experimental stage of something, if they are indeed working on another little contraption. Would you like a sample?" Kendryek held out one bag that held two of the mushrooms, one of them large, the other small. "Two stages for different developments for possibly two different effects on the body," he explained, though it seemed quite obvious.

Even though he didn't know Le Cyll very well, the man seemed to be the type that was too analytical to not be curious and smart enough to not get hurt by something poisonous. That was why he offered the mushrooms. Their potency was unknown as was their effects on the body and how potent it was to certain species. This was something Kendryek wouldn't actually put to the test, but looking at the molecules inside of the mushroom would be interesting and insightful. Since it was a mushroom, at least he believed it was, it had spores. The spores were probably poisonous and the fruit-like parts could be as well. It was all really a whole big world of unknowns right now.

But so goes the ways of science. he thought to himself.

Standing, he stretched slightly. It was always odd switching forms like he had done, especially since he was as big as he was. He was working on that, but there was no way to tell, or even estimate, how well his trials would end up. Maybe he could get Le Cyll to help him with it. Maybe he could help Le Cyll do the same.

"Now the only question left to answer now is, 'What should we—or I, depends on if you're finished for today—do now?'"

He really did want to do something more, whether it was with Le Cyll or without him, but there was surely more to do on such a fine day!