Through the Darkest Night

[Julias]

A full moon rose over the horizon, the start of the night had begun. There were no clouds in the dark sky showing off every star above Chimera Academy, a figure exits the male dorms and walks through the campus grounds to the forest edge. No one else is around to see the figure enter the woods, 3 minutes later a blue dragon rose from the forest moving his wings silently.


The back wind from his wings rustled the trees below him as he took off to the top of the Observatory, he landed on the top of the building silently not wanting to make any noise. He knew he was breaking curfew but he figured if someone caught him he would just fly away and change back into his human form and sneak back inside. Landon's head swung upward toward the stars, searching the night sky and studying the stars. He had read of a human named Nostradamus who had read the future in the stars, he knew this was true from the ancients who talk of such things. The ancients were the oldest of the dragons, the most powerful and wise, no respectful dragon would disobey an order from the ancients.


His eyes scanned the night sky, he watched as a few bats passed over the school, then turned back to his star gazing. He shifted a little to get more comfortable and felt the top of the Observatory bend a little at his weight, he scanned the grounds every now and again to see if anyone noticed him. He saw no one, a few shadows moved slightly. He figured it was probably the demons he had heard about, he didn't like the sound of them but he knew if he had to he could fend one off until he got away, or killed it, whichever came first.

His thoughts went to his family and his friends back at home, he never realized how much he missed his family until now. He remembered back to when him and his blood brother would sit on the top of mountains and watch hurricanes pass over the ocean, he remembered nights when him and his mother would fly for thousands of miles to watch meteor showers. A single tear fell from Landon's shining blue eyes, he stared at the stars and cried inwardly to himself. Letting no more tears fall, he knew he would be home soon or in the loving embrace of mother earth and her beauty.

He showed his teeth to the stars and spoke inwardly to himself 'Not without a fight.' his head twisted down and he layed it by his body, he was starting to feel depressed as he thought about everything. He knew he should not let the past dissuade him in having a bright future, he drifted off in thought staring up at the stars.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Ah yes... the full moon. His dear, dear friend.

What was it about the moon that drove him crazy? Was it the light? Was it that extra boost of gravity? Or was he finally growing accustomed to this place? The strange things that these creatures felt?

The moon was, as he understood, quite the thing to celebrate around these parts. It was apparently mystical, and magical, and evil, and good, and beautiful, and shiny, and useful, and tribal, and modern, and powerful... and on and on.

In short, the moon was a big deal. He didn't know why, or why he thought this now, but he did agree with popular culture. The moon was indeed a big deal, and he would honor that.

Which is why he would do something very special to those who were out to enjoy the light of the full moon. Coyle did have a reputation to keep, after all, and the grounds of Chimera were not a safe place at night due to him...

Ah yes. He did enjoy special occasions. So much. And he thought he found a reason to exercise his special occasion now, with this one he sensed.

Coyle crawled out from whatever rock he'd been hiding under - because in truth rocks were very comfy places to wait - and he took to the air.

Now, although he could technically speaking fly of his own body, he wanted to remember the occasion. So in doing such, he formed himself a nice, pretty flying body and took off.

Matching speed and velocity with this dragon hatching, Coyle slipped into exact formation with the dragon.

Oh, and did he mention? He looked exactly like the hatching, down to the beat of the wings.

It was fun to be him...

[Julias]

Landon felt he presence of another creature gaining on him, the creature caught up with him. He turned his head and looked at the mysterious creature, it was himself, only it wasn't. A student was playing with him, he snorted in contempt at the shape shifter, they were dangerous creatures but not something he hadn't seen. He let the creature copy him for a moment, keeping the same wing speed and flight.


Landon chuckled inwardly, he could lose the copy cat in just a few easy moves. He figured he would let the thing have its fun for a minute before he ditched him and continued with his nightly adventures, with a swift undetermined push he shot forward and up. Flying higher and higher into the nights sky, he would do what he had done the day he had stayed at he lake. This creature had no idea what he was about to do, floating ever higher and not looking back he became a small speck in the sky almost invisible if not for his blue scales being lighted by the moon, with a quick twist he turned around and aimed his nose for the lake.

With one quick and hard push from his wings he sent himself shooting like a bullet through the sky to the lake, a thin trail of air was left behind him as he descended. Any real dragon could follow him, smaller dragons would have beaten him there, but no shape shifter could fly like the kings of the sky. He never looked back as his body hit he water and slid in like a hot knife through butter, he wondered if the shifter would follow. He hit he floor and turned quickly to watch above him and see if the creature did follow him, he would be extremely surprised if it had. He sat on the sandy floor looking up at the waters surface waiting for the body of his copied self to appear.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Very carefully, though without much effort at all, Coyle curved his wings, angled his tail, even breathed to the very exact motions of the little dragon.

He was a good flier, and he was a water dragon too, meaning he had some spunk in him, but all in all, Coyle was not impressed. The soon became bored with this miming, and when he got bored, he did things to make it not boring anymore.

So he followed, perfectly - a mirror image. Even through the dive up and the dip down into the water, he mimicked. There was only one noted difference in his motions, and he wondered for a moment if the dragon would catch it.

When he hit the water, he did not make a splash.

In reality, what was flying but a bunch of fancy aerodynamics? Nothing that a creature like him couldn't see through and manipulate; but it was so bothersome, to use the air like the dragon did. He did not have the elegance nor the attention span to learn this elegance. So what did he do? He phased right through this air and this gravity; he ignored all of this scientific stuff that caused the dragon to fly, and he simply floated through everything.

Matter was too complicated to deal with, so why try when you didn't have to? That is why Coyle didn't make a splash in the water. That is why he could mimic so easily the every motion of this dragon. He wasn't really there.

He was just a little bit above and below there, out of the way of the molecules.

In an instant, he was next to the dragon in the water, mimicking the way he was swimming without actually swimming himself. This soon got boring. On to the next step of the special plan he had.

Coyle smiled, in the exact image of the dragon. He tipped his head to the side smiling, and took a nice look at the top of the water.

The barrier between the surface and the depths was flowing with waves of light. They echoed down into the water, bathing the two dragons in light and dark bands. Coyle saw the moon above the waves and the shimmering bands, and then focused on the surface of the water rippling gently below the silvery light orb.

"Did you ever look up at the water, and wonder if you were trapped? The portal between the worlds of air and water was shut, and you were stranded on the wrong side. Stuck in a tiny little bowl like a fish, unable to breach the surface and taste the air again. I wonder that sometimes, when I look up from the bottom of a lake."

And with a flick of his dragon's tail, Coyle changed the surface of the water. Just a bit. Not much, but just enough to matter.

"It's kind of scary, but it's all just my imagination, right? The water isn't keeping you in or anything..."

[Julias]

Landon started when he saw himself beside himself, he couldn't help but be astonished at how he didn't leave a trail behind him coming down. He couldn't being to understand what his creature was capable of doing, he watched the mimic and listened to it speak and ask him questions he knew nothing of. He spoke after a moment starting blankly at the mime next to him,


"No, the water is my friend, my own element. The water is my life and my body, without it I am nothing. We are never trapped shifter, you of all should know this for you are more than one thing your entire life." He had watched the mimic change the surface, it was astonishing how it had looked. He couldn't bring himself to know the type of magic that was, he asked curiously


"What type of magic is this that you use shape shifter? I've never seen such magic used?" He wondered if it was a mind controlling spell or a hallucination, something about he shifter floating in the water did not look right. He made no movements in the water as Landon did, swirling it and making it move with his body. He stared in amazement and said


"You don't move the water with your body? Are you not real?" His eyes wide in fascination at the new found knowledge of this shifter, he knew the creature was powerful now indeed. He wouldn't have been able to get away no mater how hard he tried, and fighting the thing would be absolutely useless. So he sat at the bottom of the lake, and watched the shifter float there in his vision.

[ωΘĿƒ]

At first the talking was bearable. Then it was unbearable. Then it just got boring.

Boring... Useless questions that Coyle had heard countless times before, and from prettier creatures than this dragon.

"Oh, mister monster why do you go through things?"
"Oh, what kind of magic do you use? I like dark magic."
"Oh, I'm not afraid! And you should understand me! We're so alike!"

The beast nearly threw up. Ugh... It was one of those people... He hated those guys... So boring. Just sat there and yapped while they should be wondering what terrible malady has befallen them! What monster has come to terrorize them! What evil is making them possibly die!

"You know what?!" the beast growled, shrilly. "I was having a good day until I met you!"

[Julias]

Landon sensed the creatures malice and spoke with a hiss


"And I was having a good evening until I met you. Looks like were in the same boat, live with it." He was being rude and disrespectful but he didn't care, the creature was being rude himself why bother being nice to something that wants nothing to do with it. Landon turned away and swam to the surface, he passed through the water barrier and back into the sky. He flew to the school lazily, not turning back to look for the creature that mimicked him.


He passed onto the school grounds and landed in the courtyard, he didn't bother to try and find the creature anymore. He knew that talking to him was pointless in any means, he figured if he ignored the student then he wouldn't have any problems. He walked to the forest edge where his clothes layed, he was only a short distance from his room in the dorms. He figured he would just shift now and save the trouble, he made it to his clothes and looked up at the sky one last time for the night.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Coyle snorted. He could have kept the puny dragon underwater for all eternity... but what was the point?

He hated those people... They were no fun at all...