Terra kept her eyes tightly shut as Cali blinked into existance over the Pelar Protectorate. She hated going between, mainly because it reminded her of snow. The cold, clinging dampness wrapped around her bones and refused to let go even after their backs were warmed by the sun again. Her duo-winged beauty leveled out in the air, her four wings spread to their limits to hold the buffeting winds. Slowly, Terra opened one eye, then the other, letting her vision adjust to the sudden brightness of day after the blinding darkness of between.
This is it. Where are we supposed to deliver the message? Her mount's sweet voice filled her mind. Cali swung her massive head from side to side, looking for a landing place. Terra leaned as far over the caramel dragoness' side as she dared, her eyes scanning the ground below for the group of dragons and riders that was supposed to waiting for her.
They should be here. She growled back, somewhat peeved that the people they'd been sent to see weren't immediately within her sight. Finally, she spotted the tell-tale stormy hide of Camkanak; and beside her, the other dragons of the Warren.
Yath lifted his head and blasted the air with a powerful bellow. Cali's own voice gave answer, shaking Terra in her saddle with the force of her rumble. The metalsmith dwarf righted herself and gripped the saddle twice as tightly. With an all too familiar jerk of her stomach, Terra felt Cali slip quickly into a dive. Two of her four wings slide back along her sides and cut down wind resistance while the other two pulled in only half way, still steering her towards the landing place.
The wind whipped past her face and tore at her skin as they cut through the air. Her hands gripped the leather reins as if by determination alone, numbed and unable to move. Terra leaned back in the saddle slowly, feeling the force of Cali's decent pushing against her. Normally during a battle, Terra would have been ready for a decent like this. As it was, they weren't fighting and she wasn't ready. When her caramel coloured dragoness righted her fall and evened out just in time to land lightly in front of Yath, Terra was nearly through from the saddle. The dwarf growled darkly and slide from her bond's shoulders without aid.
Ye could warn me next time. She muttered into Calionapyth's mind. The Ryslen born duo-wing turned her head and scoffed at the comment.
I don't see any problem with my landing. She returned haughtily.
"Of course you don't." Terra grumbled. She stomped her feet on the soft grass of the Pelar Protectorate to warm her numb toes and sooth the after-tremble from Cali's roar in her legs. While she did this, the group of nine dragons that had awaited her gathered 'round in a circle and watched her patiently. Finally, Terra looked up and saught out the face of the giant blue, Yath. "Where's your rider?" She asked simply, her eyes squinting in the bright light of day.
He is inside. The shy giant replied in his deep, brassy voice. He bowed his head while he spoke and sent Terra an image of a dining hall of sorts.
"Are they all inside?" Terra asked again, looking from one dragon to the other as they all nodded. They seemed just as eager to hear word from the Warren as their riders would be. "I'll give Ki'yeal the message and he can tell all of ye's."
I'll tell them myself. You just worry about the humans. Cali's normally commanding voice broke in. She smiled and nudged her rider affectionatly towards the large building that would probably be the main hall. She watched her rider grumble again and stomp off towards the front doors, muttering over her shoulder that she didn't need a 'blasted lizard's' help to find the riders. The duo-winged dragoness sighed and shook her head. Terra had never liked travelling, especially as a messanger.
The stout metalsmith entered the great halls of the Protectorate with more then a little awe. The great expanses of hallways and columns were nothing compared to her dwarven home, yet the colours and grandure that humans put into their homes still amazed her. Tapestries fell from one entrance to another in various colours, mostly silvers, blues, whites and purples. She guess that the decorations were there to celebrate the first frenzy soon to be held.
Shaking off her wonderment, Terra set her face into a stoney mask once again and tried to pick the one entrance that would lead to the dining hall Yath had shown her. Each archway looked just like the others, tall, decorated brightly and leading to another stone hallway. Hiding a sigh, Terra chose her path the best way she knew how.
"Ieny, Meny, Miny, Moe..." She breathed as low as possible, her eyes dancing from one arch to another as she repeated the rhyme. She was glad that there was no one there to see her, lest she be forced to make up a lie about why she was saying what she was.
Finally, 'moe' pointed out an entranceway and Terra began in that direction. Her leather boots thudded soundly over the cobblestone floor, once again making her admire the human's craftmenship. Not as good as dwarven though. Voices drifted down the hallway, accompanied by joyous laughter. A wafting of sugary air assulted her senses, drawing her ever closer to the dining hall where the riders from the Warren had gathered.
Terra tentitavely peered around the edge of the dining hall entrance, stunned by the bright lights and food ladden tables. The air literally dripped of tantalizing flavours and teased the senses with sugary treats. The hall itself was grand, holding numerous benches and tables. Each table sported a few candle sticks and some had been set for the upcoming meal. At one of the far tables sat the gathering of riders whom Terra had come to see. Men and women were mingled together, obviously not caring that they would soon be competing for control of their dragon's minds.
Ki'yeal sat with a bubbly pie half-way to his mouth and a goblet of wine in the other hand. He paused and laughed as Ren finished a joke, joining his voice to the general merriment in the air. He was the first to notice an odd, short statured woman watching them from the doorway. He smiled and lifted his goblet in greeting, recognizing Terra even at this distance. There weren't many dwarves in the Pelar Protectorate that he knew of.
Terra started as she was noticed, quickly regaining her sour composure and walking towards them with an assured step. Her lips were turned down in a slight frown as she approached their table, one hand tightly clasping the note.
"Greetings, Terra." Ki'yeal called out, motioning for her to take a seat beside them. The dwarf stayed resolutely on the floor. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon."
"I noticed." Terra scoffed. "Yer lucky Yath can give good instructions." She held out the crumpled piece of paper to Ki'yeal and waited for him to read it.
The blue rider was forced to put down his drink as he unrolled the paper and read the fine, elegant scrawl. His brow furrowed in thought and then lifted as he smiled lightly. "Just a check-up from Mystic. She wants to know what's happen so far." He spoke outloud to inform the others.
"We're all dead and have been inhabited by zombies!" T'bi spoke up suddenly. His spontanious and somewhat odd statement brought a ripple of laughter from the others. Ki'yeal smirked and slipped the paper into his belt.
"Just tell her the flight's still filling up. We'll probably stay until we can get an egg count then send word." He nodded to Terra to see if she had understood the message. The dwarf snorted lightly and shrugged.
"Aye. I'll give her the message. Now if none of ye's mind, I'm goin' home." She nodded curtly to the others then turned to leave, still muttering under her breath about having to leave her work just for a 'stupid messanger service.'
As the stout woman left the dining hall, she was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice that she had turned down the wrong corridor. She walked for some time with her head down and thoughts of her upcoming projects still running through her mind. Only when absolute silence filled the hallways and the only sign of life was her own heavy footfalls did Terra look up.
She stopped dead in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat. This hall was bare of the vibrant decorations covering the other areas of the building. A few dim torches were the only things to cast light on the forgotten path. Terra swallowed and regained her wits before turning towards another entrance.
"Just took a wrong turn.... must be another way outta here... maybe if I went... or that might be..." Terra wandered from room to room, muttering to herself. Upon entering the darkest and farthest of all the doorways, Terra stopped again and looked around in defeat. "Lysta darken Moor!" She cursed loudly in dwarven, stomping her feet with every word. Lost, grumpy and alone, Terra plopped herself down on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest. She would wait here until someone came to find her.
"What does Moor mean?" A soft, silky voice echoed from the shadows of the room. The faint scrap of claws on stone was heard in the distance before it faded into darkness again.
"What?" Terra leapt to her feet, one hand automatically going to where her trusty axe would have been had she not left it on Tris'Hath. "Who's there?"
"What does Moor mean?" The voice called again, closer this time. Terra could make out a faint, redish glow at the far end of the room.
She raised a brow slightly and shifted back a step. Her guard was still up and the door only inches away. Only her curiousity kept her rooted to the spot. "It's the Dwarven god."
"Dwarven? Are you a dwarf?" The voice was definately male. It's silky tone, though quite still, was strong and inquizative.
"Aye. Why do ye ask?" Terra edged a little further away from the growing glow. There were no other lights in this room, no hints as to where an enemy might lurk. She was alone with an unknow figure and no weapon.
"I've never seen a dwarf before." The voice paused and with it, the sound of more claws scraping over stone. Soon, the glow grew and intensified until it lit the muzzle of the creature which approached her. His fur was a soft, deep black and the shape of his up-held head reminded her of a lion. The fiery glow she had seen came from a mane of fire rising above his head and between his velvety ears. A single silver earring sparkled in the light of his flaming hair. He paused before emerging fully, cocking his head to the side as Terra's eyes grew wide in wonder. "I'm sorry. Did I frighten you?"
Terra blinked and silently cursed herself for showing her surprise. She stood straight and as tall as a dwarf could be, her face a mask of pride again. "O'course not." She raised a thick brow, watching more of the creature come into the light. Two flaming wings followed by a sleek, black body and a flame tipped tail. The ends of his paws were a pure white, tipped with long, leathal claws. "What are ye anyway?"
"I am a ligon. My name is Frentil." The black ligon replied. He dipped his head and let his redish-yellow eyes roam over Terra curiously. "Why are you here?"
Terra shrugged lightly, trying not to betray her embarrasment. "I was just takin' a detour." She jumped slightly as Frentil laughed gently.
"These are the abandoned dens for Ligons and tigers. The only other entrance is through the agency." He smiled and tilted his head up slightly. "I doubt you simply 'took a detour.'"
Terra frowned slightly, feeling her pride protest to the statement. She thought for a moment of her whereabouts and how she had greeted the ligon and smirked slightly. The smirk turned into a laugh as Terra joined Frentil in seeing the absurity of a detour to these halls. "Aye. Well, when a dwarf admits openly to being lost, that's the day Hell'll freeze over." She scoffed and looked around at the high walls and stone work. "Now if this were a dwarven holding, ye wouldn't see a single lost person. Dwarves have method to their architechture, nothin' like humans."
Frentil chuckled lightly in his soft, almost soothing voice. He padded forward slowly, seemingly as cautious as she was at first. "Tell me more about dwarves." He kept walking until he was only a few feet away from her, his eyes meeting hers on the same level.
"Well..." Terra started slowly, "Dwarves are mostly fighters and builders. I'm a metal smith myself." She said proudly. "One of three at the Warren."
"A metal smith? That sounds interesting." Frentil grinned, momentarily revealing rows of sharp, white teeth. Though the display was daunting, there was no malice in his gaze.
"Aye. It is." Terra smirked. She opened her mouth to continue boasting of her kind when a loud and somewhat impatient bellow filled the air outside. The walls rumbled with the force of the blast, proving that these back dens were closer to the outdoors then Terra had first thought. The dwarf looked towards the general direction of the call and smirked again. "That'd be Cali, my bond."
"I suppose that means you have to go." Frentil's voice dropped to a whisper again, suddenly filled with sadness. Terra felt a pang of guilt as she nodded slightly. These were the dens where forgotten ligon and tigers came to, meaning Frentil had no one else.
"Aye... mayhaps you can show me out?" She asked hopefully, searching for a way to get just a few more minutes of companionship for the creature.
"Yes... of course." Frentil bowed his head towards the doorway, waiting for her to proceed him. Terra took a few steps forward, listening to the soft scratch of Frentil's claws following her. She could see by the light of his flames, a glow as fierce as the blaze of her own forge. She stopped suddenly and turned to face the ligon again.
"You got anyone else here, Frentil?" She watched his black hide glimmer in his own light as he drew up beside her. Strong muscles pulsed beneath his soft fur, showing him to be a powerful hunter and survivor.
"No. Only when they come down to feed us." He replied, being vague about who 'they' were.
Terra nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing in thought as she licked her dry lips. Cali called out again, even more impatient now. "How'd ya like to come with me for a while? Just to see what its like for yerself."
((Well? Find out his answer here!))
Frentil is from: Sargon of Azon's Tiger and Ligon Impressions