Alistair Corvisk | 18 | M | Guide | Mentions: Fathom

Hell. That was the word that kept repeating in Alistair’s head after reading the letter that had been slipped under his door sometime while he slept. The note was brief, lacking detail nearly to the point of generating more questions than it answered. It was written in a tiny, spidery script, which Alistair had to squint to read. Dear rider, it began, our scouts have reported unusual animal tracks and sightings around LaFord. We believe that this activity is related to recent events regarding yourself and your new “friend”. As the first of your kind, you can best repay us for our aid concerning your father’s debts by finding the other riders and bringing them to us. You will be their guide in all things from now on. Destroy this note after reading. The letter was unsigned, but there was no doubt whom it was from. Alistair felt his chest tighten, the crushing weight of his new responsibility already causing his heartbeat to quicken and his breaths to become shallow.

To distract himself from the looming panic attack, Alistair took stock of his new quarters, given to him last night after being formally accepted by the rebellion. The room was small, the ceiling low enough that he was already starting to feel cramped. Its furnishings were simple, if well made: a bed, nightstand, and small chest for his belongings. Last night though, Alistair hadn’t cared about any of it. He’d been exhausted from running, nerves frayed from the constant fear of discovery. And it was a lot easier to be discovered when you were traveling with a giant lizard bigger than a draft horse. At the thought of Fathom, Alistair felt a tug at the back of his head, as if his connection to the dragon was a physical cord. With the room pressing in on him more and more every second, Alistair quickly made himself presentable before dashing off to find Fathom.

Alistair stepped into the mountain clearing, relishing the feel of the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. His dragon was dozing, and Alistair felt something in his chest loosen at the peaceful sight. In the back of his mind, the fear of losing Fathom dwelled constantly. It was only when the beast was in his sight that he could relax. Stepping alongside the majestic creature, Alistair caressed the dragon’s side lightly.

“Fathom, wake up. We have work to do.”

Male | 149 Years | Verden | M: Open..?

Desmodus opened his eyes to the sight of an upside down river in front of him. I don't want to get up... He grumbled and stretched, shaking his wing patagiums to try and get them moving so they wouldn't be sore. It's day time... He sniffed the air, his nostrils getting slightly wider the moment he sucked air in. He let out a dramatic sigh and flapped his wings around majestically to stretch his sore shoulders and waved the tip of his tail around. He did a spin and launched himself into the air and then landed to sip some water. I hate getting up... Stupid instinct. Stupid everything. Stupid water that just splashed up my nose! I hate everything today! Just cooperate water! Someone is going to drink you one day! Just cooperate with me, stupid water! He growled and then dunked his whole head in the silvery transparent water and snagged a fish and swallowed it, licking his lips contently afterwards. Snacks? He dunked his head back in and snatched another fish and swallowed the slippery thing whole. Yeah yeah I know! Desmodus was never a big fan of fish, but a snack is a snack, agreed? He grabbed another and swallowed, and immediately started coughing. I guess not every snack is a yummy one? That fish tasted like dead seaweed. It was at this moment Desmodus grumpily decided to not eat that fish. And took off into the sky in a quick blur.

~

Desmodus Draculae flapped his wings as he flew in between the trees, doing a backflip in the air and wrapped his tail around a strong branch swiftly and then started to hang there. This stinks. I'm going back to bed. He flapped his wings around and almost folded his wing patagiums around himself before snapping back into focus. No. I've got to figure out what that feeling is about... That urge... I don't understand, but I must figure it out. He let go of the branch and did a twist and started to fly again. He flew high into the air and then let out an earsplitting shriek that echoed through the whole area, startling many birds and causing them to fly away. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and then let out another one, louder then before, enough to send chills down someone's spine if they weren't expecting such a loud noise. Bleh. That was probably all I needed to do. The feeling was still there, so he flattened his ears down and then hovered in the air, and made another shriek that literally sounded like someone was getting murdered but more animal-like. I highly doubt anyone was expecting that... I know. I'm delightfully terrifying... He smirked before letting out his fourth scream and bristling his neck fur to look cool. He stopped screaming for a good five minutes to catch his breath after all that screeching, just to allow another to echo through the whole place. I'm the leader here birds! He smirked, watching the fear from all the poor birds.

Anora E. Serkonos | 19 | F | Rider | Mentions: Open

Anora opened her eyes to the sound of shorebirds. Her whole body hurt, and sand and salt had stiffened her clothes and hair to the point that she could barely move even if she wanted to. A shadow crossed her vision, and Anora tried to direct her stinging eyes to the source of the darkness. A woman’s face swam into focus, middle aged with narrowed eyes and hair turned pale by the sun. She grinned at Anora, white teeth flashing against her tanned brown skin.

“Well you’re not what I expected to find in my net today,” the woman said in a rough voice, her eyes crinkling with amusement. Anora tried to respond, but only managed a weak cough. The woman sighed, her playful act slipping away as she surveyed the young woman more seriously. She reached out and helped Anora to sit up, then began massaging the girl’s back as Anora immediately began gagging and dry-heaving, her body trying its hardest to get the seawater out of her body that had evaporated long ago.

“I take it your dip in the ocean wasn’t intentional,” the woman continued conversationally as Anora spat the last traces of salt out of her mouth. Anora shook her head.

“No. My ship went down in last night’s storm. My siblings and I-” Anora stopped herself, unsure how much she could really trust this strange woman. Her gray eyes widened slightly as a thought struck her. “My siblings. Did you come across anyone else on the beach today?” Anora searched her companion’s face, desperate for any indicator that her younger brother and sister were alive. But the woman only shook her head.

“I have not. You’re the only life I’ve seen on this beach besides the crabs and the gulls.” Anora tried to hide her disappointment, but it must have shown anyway because the woman patted her hand softly. “Is there someone else I can take you to? Where was your ship headed?” Anora shrank into herself at the probing questions, feeling more alone than she had in her entire life. But beneath the fear and the worry for her family’s safety, anger was brewing. Anger at the Emundare Mundum for forcing her family to flee Erast, and thereby causing all this to happen. Her spine straightened, and she rose to her feet shakily, staying upright through sheer determination alone.

“You want to help me?” she asked, some of her old fire coming back. “Then take me to the enemies of the Emundare Mundum.”

***

By the time Anora reached the top of the seaside bluffs, the sun was setting and she was about ready to collapse from exhaustion. The woman from the beach had been kind enough to give her directions to LaFord, where it was rumored a rebellion against the Emundare Mundum was growing. The word ‘rebellion’ sat uneasily in Anora’s mind, but she reasoned that the enemy of her enemy might as well be her friend. So it was that she found herself lost in the woods, alone, at night. Great, she sighed as she stumbled over some hidden obstacle for what must’ve been the twentieth time that evening. I’m dehydrated, hungry, and I have no idea where I’m going. Anora was so busy grumbling to herself that she didn’t notice the abrupt drop before her until it was too late. She screamed, arms windmilling as she grabbed for anything that might stop her descent into the darkness. Then agony blossomed in her left ankle as Anora hit the bottom of the hole, the pain so strong that she promptly blacked out.

When Anora came to again, it was midday. She looked up, but the hole she had fallen into was deep, and even standing on her injured ankle caused her to break out in a cold sweat. The hole was extremely long and decently wide, rather like a ravine. Anora took deep breaths, trying to calm herself as she took stock of the situation. Ok. There’s no way I’m climbing back up. So, unless I’m going to give up and die here, I need to pick a direction and start walking. The ravine continued on to the left and right, with both paths appearing mostly identical. Yet Anora felt a slight prickling in her head when she looked at the left fork, something deep within her telling her that she needed to head that way. Deciding to trust her gut, Anora began to slowly, painfully make her way further into the ravine. In her haze of misery, time seemed distorted. After what felt like hours, Anora called out in desperation, hoping that against all the odds, someone might hear and come help her.

“HELLO! Please, someone help me!” She caught her breath, gathering herself to yell again. “Is anyone there? I need help, please!”

Brontes | 468 | Male | Dragon | Lyn Class | M: Jasper

The Lyn dragon was soaring overhead, dodging amongst the wispy clouds and letting the direction of the wind lead him on. Brontes had felt a pull, a tug at his core to reach some place, and he sensed it was coming soon. He had traveled from his home world and into the foul land crawling with humans, but this was a calling he couldn't ignore. No matter how hard he tried. The blue-hued dragon sneezed, sending a crackle of electricity through him before tucking his wings into his sides. Folding his wings tight to his body, Brontes plunged from the sky, letting out an ear-splitting screech to announce himself before he shot his wings back out to glide over the tree tops from the forest below. He was aware of the city below him, and referred to the humans as “Onaron”, quite frankly a terrible place to live. He truly hated the view as he flew overhead, fake gagging as he flew over a group of children, who shrieked in terror as they caught sight of him.

Many dragons had fled back to their home world after the war, and few did choose to stick around but tended to lead a more hidden life. Of course, there were some who didn't, but most children now grew up not ever seeing dragons. Brontes was fine with the fact, it allowed a greater fear factor whenever he made an entrance, but a part of him still thought it to be strange. As the dragon slowed he opened his mouth, tasting the air. Humans. Or rather, a human. Alone. Interesting. Brontes wouldn't admit how little he knew about humans, besides knowing how violent they can be, he figured they would have traveled in herds, as he had seen the others earlier in his journey. But there was something different about this one, not only was it alone, but the very tug that had brought him here was coming from its direction.

The little human seemed to be sprinting, with its goal set on heading somewhere. Being a little nosey the Lyn dragon followed the small creature, but he grew bored and decided to toy with them. Swooping low over it's his, just 10 ft from the creatures he opened his mouth to let out a slight screech before swooping out of sight. A part of him longed to eat the creature, a pity it had separated from its herd, but as he neared the girl the pull he had felt before strengthened. It was the will he needed not to eat her on the spot, but he wasn't ready to face the human, so he ignored to pull in his chest and returned to the sky, flying directly above the creature, with his blue eyes trained on her. What had he just experienced?

Viatrix - 299 - Female - Dragon - Kuling - M: Rhys


Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the large beast that was currently drinking from the running stream, lighting up brilliant spots of color on the blue-purple scales, on the slightly outstretched membrane of the large wings. A long tail curled in a lazy arc on the ground, coiling around a nearby sapling. A serpentine body was crouched low to the ground, the long neck curving in a downward arc, connected to a sleek head crowned with twin spirals the color of the moon. The only sounds in the forest were the idle twittering of birds and the splash and murmur of the flowing water. After a particularly deep swallow, that head slowly lifted, water dripping off her snout back into the stream in which it had come. The tail twitched at the tip, and it uncurled from the little tree, and the creature straightened up. With a shake of the head, scattering droplets of water, the elegant dragoness stood, her wings opening and raising in prepartion for flight.

Lowering closer to the ground in a crouch, the dragoness then propelled herself forwards and up in a smooth leap, her wings swinging in a powerful downstroke at the same time. She quickly adjusted her course and shot out of the forest and into the sky. Climbing higher, she finally leveled out somewhere above the clouds, immense wingspan stretched out in a glide. The tug she felt in the depths of her very being, the pull that had drawn her from her home and out into the human world, pulled her down toward the earth and to the south. With a snorting exhale, the dragoness veered southward, carving a gentle arc in the blue sky.

She soared above the forest, the light shining through the membrane of the wings and glinting off of her bright scales. A deep blue gaze searched the ground beneath her, searching for the source of the call as she drew closer to its location. Then she was near, no, passing by-

Viatrix banked sharply, wings stirring the air around her in gusts as she compensated for the abrupt change in direction. As she began circling the forest below, a triumphant shriek issued from her maw. Finally, she could see what that bone-deep pull was leading her towards. A burst of curiosity mingled with the tingle of excitement, after the irritation of the neverending tug at her heart, at her soul, forever urging her forward, she would see what was the source of it.

The blue-purple dragoness threw her weight right, inwards of the circle, and the corresponding wing folded to her side moments before the second one copied the motion. She plummeted through the air like an arrow drawn to the earth, a bright streak of purplish blue dropping down. Through slitted eyes, she watched the trees of the forest rushing to meet her. She felt the tug in her core increase, as if trying to physically hurry her descent. Before she collided with the growth, the dragoness snapped her wings out and caught the air. Shooting over the woodlands, the winds generated in her wake were strong enough to send the trees swaying, foliage shaking from the force of the current. The energy from the dive lent speed to her flight so that she did not even have to move her slightly bent wings as she sliced through the air. When the momentum waned she took up the steady rhythm of flight as her body turned back, back towards the pull.

Upon reaching the spot above the forest, the dragoness came to a complete stop in the air. The wind generated from the rapid flapping of her wings was powerful enough to make the trees sway and bend under the force. At some points as the wings were at their lowest point of the cycle of motion they brushed against the moving trees so was so low. Lapis blue eyes narrowed against the generated breeze that hit the earth and bounced upward. She saw a small creek, the movement of leaves and whatnot flying around the figure by said creek.

A human.

The pull strengthed, quelling the urge of violence that had risen in that brief moment. Faced with sudden confusion, the dragoness narrowed her eyes at the far smaller creature and promptly propelled herself forward with a roar, dipping down to brush the treetops with a and then angled upwards into the sky once more. She shot into the blue, swifter than a diving falcon, but didn't soar as high as she had been. Instead she remained a fair distance above the ground, low enough for her form to cast a dark shadow upon the ground as she wheeled in the sky in a lazy manner. The head was tilted down, the silver horns glinting in the sunlight, as she watched the forest below with confusion churning in her chest.

-

Fathom jumped but stretched and yawned dramatically when he realized his rider, Alistair, was trying to awake him. Alistair is the best thing that has ever happened to him, if anyone tried to harm Alistair... Fathom growled thinking about it. Nobody will mess with him and live to see another day. Protecting Alistair was a main priority to Fathom, but it didn't stop him from teasing Alistair. He playfully rolled on his back and looked at his rider. Working was not how Fathom wanted to start his afternoon, so he decided to be difficult. A long, wet tongue draped out of his mouth, dripping with drool. Fathom licked his chops, cleaning the drool off of his face. Ah, why must we work? Why don't you join me in this nice patch of sunlight. Fathom did some sort of dragon giggle and his long tail swished across the dirt, making the air dusty and hard to breathe.

Alright, teasing time is over. Fathom rolled back over and arose from his spot. The ground left a huge indent where he had layed. Fathom shook himself to get the dust off, more dust flew in the air making him sneeze. The sun was bright and shone against his grey-blue scales. His sharp talons dug into the earth, the dirt felt moist and cool. Fathom yawned again and stretched his wings better. There was a small breeze that felt AMAZING against his scales. Fathom lowered his head and nudged Alistair in the chest and and grabbed a nearby bucket shoving it into his rider's face. I refuse to work on an empty stomach! Fathom's stomach growled and he sat down staring straight at Alistair with his bright yellow, hawk -like eyes. I require food, human, Fathom joked to himself.

Uh oh... Jasper looked to the sky to see a huge dragon circling her. It swooped down at her, but it hasn't attacked her... yet. "Only a few hours into my adventure," she sighed knowing the beast was playing with his prey. But due to her unfortunate luck, she was the prey. Jasper slowed down looking for some sort of cover, but of course there is nothing. "Ok don't panic, but you might die," she said to herself. Ok I must remain calm, she thought standing there. Jasper had to admit that she was surprised that she wasn't dead yet. She looked around once more, but this time she saw a rock with a crevice just big enough to hide in. Yes, Jasper hated retreating but she knew she could not take on a full grown dragon. Slowly Jasper clutched her sword, Fate, and ran for cover under the giant rock.

-

The stone was cold to the touch, but Jasper stayed still and silent. She held her breath and prayed that the beast wouldn't find her... or at least just lose interest in her. The sound of wings flapping through the air sent goosebumps down her back. "Ok,ok... calm down!" She whispered trying to control her breathing, "This is terrifying, absolutely terrifying!" She squashed herself father back. Scraaape! Jasper jumped when her sword grazed the stone around her. "That's not good," she said breathing slowly. "Will this be the end of me? The end of Jasper Sterling?" She quietly announced to herself dramatically, "Goodbye world! Goodbye dreams! Goodbye!" She found a bit of limestone on the ground and Jasper decided to write her goodbyes on the roof of her hiding place, Hello I am about to die :). She stood there admiring her handy work.

Alistair Corvisk | 18 | M | Guide | Mentions: Fathom

At his touch, the sleeping beast awoke, enormous muscles jumping to life under Alistair’s hand. Fathom growled slightly, and Alistair unconsciously stepped back. Even if his rational mind knew Fathom was as incapable of hurting him as Alistair was of hurting Fathom, it was hard to ignore the instinctive voice that told him to run upon hearing that stomach-vibrating growl. Alistair’s attention snapped back to Fathom as the dragon rolled onto his back with an earth-shaking thump, his yellow eyes fixed on Alistair. An emotion glimmered in their depths, amusement maybe? Or perhaps curiosity for why Alistair had woken him? It was hard for Alistair to tell what was going on in his dragon’s mind, as they had only been bonded for a short time. Again, Alistair was dragged out of his thoughts by the dragon’s actions, coughing involuntarily as the dust Fathom had stirred up got into his mouth and nose. He glared slightly at the dragon, before cringing automatically as Fathom let out an ear-shattering sneeze.

When Fathom yawned, Alistair closed his eyes tight to block out the sight of the beast’s teeth, which he estimated were probably each the length and width of a grown man’s shin. Thus he was unprepared when Fathom shoved his head against Alistair’s chest, almost knocking the young man over. Alistair yelped in surprise, about to complain about the dragon’s rough treatment, when Fathom proceeded to shove his feeding bucket into Alistair’s face. Again, the earth shook as the dragon settled back onto his haunches, and another growl echoed throughout the clearing. Alistair grabbed the bucket from Fathom and met the beast’s yellow-eyed stare with his own multi-hued glare.

“There are more polite ways to tell someone you’re hungry you know,” he grumbled, walking off into the treeline where he had noticed some traps set up during his walk to find the dragon. Luckily Fathom hadn’t scared off all the wildlife with his antics, and Alistair was able to find a couple of squirrels and rabbits that had been caught. He put each one in the bucket as he found it, and upon returning to the dragon proceeded to dump out the bucket’s contents at Fathom’s feet. He sighed lightly, already feeling regret for being snappish.

“I’m sorry Fathom. I just got some upsetting news this morning. Well not upsetting in that it’s bad. It’s just…” Alistair grimaced, the mere thought of his new duties souring his mood even more. He climbed up Fathom’s legs to perch between the beast’s wings, being careful to avoid the spikes that periodically studded the dragon’s spine. Once he had made himself comfortable, Alistair resumed relaying the details of the letter.

“So here’s the thing Fathom… we might not be alone. The rebellion thinks that there are other dragons around LaFord, and that they’ve come to find the humans they’re bonded to, the same way we’re bonded. That’s the good part I guess.” Alistair shifted uneasily, the feeling of the dragon’s scales under him still strange and unfamiliar. “The bad part is they want me, well us, to train the others. Which I’m sure you’ll have no problems with, you’ve seemed to have adapted to this whole ‘bonded’ thing pretty well. But me? I’m no leader. I don’t know anything about fighting, let alone fighting alongside a dragon.” Despite himself, Alistair was finding it surprisingly easy to talk to Fathom. When he didn’t think too much about how easily Fathom could kill or maim him, it was incredibly relaxing to be in the dragon’s presence. Tentatively, Alistair reached over and began to pet the base of Fathom’s wings. “Anyway, once you’re done eating we’re supposed to go out and find the other bonded pairs and bring them back to base camp. I’m not sure how we’re supposed to know who the riders are if they haven’t bonded yet though. Any suggestions on where to look first?”

Desmodus continued to admire the view in the sky. He felt powerful and enjoyed it much. He almost let out another screech until he heard a yell. What was that..? He thought and turned his head towards the sound, his ears raised in an alert position. He didn't hear another one after it. Should I check it out..? He sniffed the air and then did a dive bomb down to the ground and slammed his paws and hands into the ground, sending dust around. I don't hear anything... Did something die? Maybe it's... He started to drool. Free food?!?

At the thought of food, Desmodus lept into the sky to follow where the sound came from. I must see if it is food! I want a snack!!! He let out a screech to see if they would respond. He didn't hear anything if they did. Hmm... He did a twirl to dodge trees and then made a sharp turn to the left when he almost hit a tree by accident. Where could the sound have come from..? He sniffed the air as he glided through an open spot in the trees.

Fathom watched Alistair walk off in search of food. He quickly grew bored and started to dig his talons into the dirt. Every now and then an unlucky bug would cross his path and he would terrorize it. In the corner of his eye he spotted something yellow, he rolled over towards it to discover that it was a dandelion. It's pretty little petals seemed to give off light itself and the scent of it was sweet and heavenly. Fathom took a big whiff of the flower's sweet fumes, his nose tingling from it bold scent. He wiggled his nose and leaned closer to admire the pretty little flower. A buzzing nose came from behind Fathom, he looked around trying to find the source of the buzzing. His eyes locked on a little bumblebee, it was small and fluffy. Awwww cute! Fathom watched the little bee land on the flower and steal it's nectar. The bee then twitched it's wings and flew towards Fathom landing on his nose and- OUCH! Stupid bee. The bee stung Fathom and it was now making a run for it. Fathom jumped up and ate the bee, accidentally crushing the dandelion. I hate bees...

-

After the whole bee fiasco, Fathom could see Alistair making his way back with... food. He sat impatiently waiting for his rider, watching Alistair slowly make his way back. The scent of rabbit covered Alistair as he dumped some critters on the ground. Fathom quickly gobbled up a squirrel and a few rabbits.

He smacked his lips and felt something climb on his leg. He turned to see Alistair climbing onto his back, "I’m sorry Fathom. I just got some upsetting news this morning. Well not upsetting in that it’s bad. It’s just…" Alistair went on, "So here’s the thing Fathom… we might not be alone. The rebellion thinks that there are other dragons around LaFord, and that they’ve come to find the humans they’re bonded to, the same way we’re bonded. That’s the good part I guess.” Fathom could feel Alistair shifting on his back, “The bad part is they want me, well us, to train the others. Which I’m sure you’ll have no problems with, you’ve seemed to have adapted to this whole ‘bonded’ thing pretty well. But me? I’m no leader. I don’t know anything about fighting, let alone fighting alongside a dragon." Fathom sat still feeling Alistair's lack of confidence, I know you will make a great leader! He started purring reassuringly to Alistair. Alistair asked Fathom where they should start looking for the soon-to-be riders.

Fathom stood up listening into the wind, in the distance he could hear some dragon screech.